Legacy Mall: A Different Type of Hope and Despair
by JCW18
Summary: [Legacy of Despair Spinoff] A Slice of Life AU featuring the adventures, friendships, and hopeless romances of the LoD OCs. A whole new world of Hope and Despair awaits them! [Collaboration between many writers in the Legacy of Despair discord] [Slice of Life AU] [DISCONTINUED DUE TO THE SERIES REBOOT]
1. Prologue: Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies

**Hey, everyone! So, first off, I just wanna say that this is a slice of life Mall AU spinoff for Crit Fail's Legacy of Despair series, featuring the various OCs submitted to his games. While the canon characters may make cameos, it will mostly center around these OCs. So if you have no clue what Legacy of Despair is, your going to be lost, and we do apologize.**

**Speaking of "we", this is a collaboration between Trust Me, Birbddha, and Solrac XD on the LoD discord, and I just wanna say how awesome they are. We're honestly more excited for this than we should be haha.**

**Finally, there are MASSIVE spoilers inbound for the said LoD stories, Railroad of Despair in particular for this chapter. You have been warned.**

**Oh yeah, and for those of you who have OCs in the LoD stories, and you want them in the story, we'll have instructions on how to get them in here at the end of the prologue. **

* * *

**Legacy Mall. Shaped like a plus-sign and covering five million square feet across four wings and a central hub, it is the largest mall in the country. Famed as the number one hangout destination for students of Hope's Peak High, many of these same students also held jobs there to earn some cash on the side. This story will recount all the shenanigans, struggles, and hopeless romances of these quirky students, but for now we start with a small group of individuals, huddled after closing time in the backroom of a GameStop...**

* * *

**10:01 PM**

**South Wing - GameStop**

"The train crashes. You all die. The end."

A moment of stunned silence fell over the table as the participants looked to Kazuko Kodaka who had just announced their untimely demise. The part-time GameStop employee and full-time troll had a shit-eating grin on her face.

"Hell no!" growled Emizel Tanaka, the acting manager of Underworld Demons, a pet shop owned by Emizel's cousin, Gundham. "Axel, Ado, and I won fair and square! You're just salty because you lost early on!" the small blue-haired boy accused sourly.

Axel Ueda, who worked minimum wage as the mall's mascot and had to don a fluffy white bear costume everyday, frowned. "I kinda agree. Plus, you've been sort of… overly cruel to our characters? Like, did you really need to do that to Umiko?"

Adohira Sasamori, who looked after the nameless antique shop in a corner of the mall nobody ever visited, stood up and brushed the dust off his collared vest. "I, for one, am glad it's over. Had this gone on any longer, my brain cells would have committed suicide... And for the last time, Emizel, don't call me that."

"It's your fault, losers," Kazuko replied with a shrug. "Seriously, all you needed to do was sacrifice someone and the others could walk out." She then turned to Axel. "And that Umiko shit was golden for me, so just swallow it. As the gamemaster, my word is law!" Kazuko exclaimed, slamming her fist down on the table.

"Well, I still say we won fair and square!" Emizel exclaimed as he flipped the game board over and scattered its pieces all across the room. "Anyways, I gotta go back and tidy up the shop before I leave for the night, or Gundham will have my head! Ax, you wanna come with me?"

The blonde haired boy jumped up, nodding his head enthusiastically. "Uh huh! I mean, we never got to have our date night today, since we ended up hanging out with everyone else instead… so we can use this chance to hang out a bit."

"Actually, I just needed you for your spare set of keys, since I left mine in my car," Emizel deadpanned, before rolling his eyes as Axel formed a sad, pouty face. "I'm just messing with ya, of course I wanna hang with you!"

As the two turned to leave the store, Emizel turned to Kazuko. "Make sure you get a better game next time, that was kinda a stupid choice. I mean, a world of 'Ultimates' who possess specific, crazy talents? Like, c'mon. Though I guess it would be cool to be a fire mage…" the blue haired boy mused, before he and Axel began to leave.

"Hmph, it was either that or Super High School Level!" Kazuko huffed and shouted at the retreating boys. A second later, her face settled back into its usual grin. "Even if you guys can't conceive, remember to use condoms! I'll seriously die of laughter if I see either of you with herpes!"

Axel turned a bright shade of red at Kazuko's exclamation, while Emizel simply elected to flip the GameStop employee off as the two left out the back door.

Adohira sighed as he stared down at the mess Emizel made. He crouched down and started collecting the strewn about pieces. "Just so we're clear, Kodaka… I'm only helping you clean because my OCD demands it."

"Oh, my OCD hero," the girl dreamily sighed in a mocking manner with one hand on her chest. "Even if you weren't here, I could just force someone to clean this tomorrow before opening time."

"Remind me why you haven't been fired yet," the boy quipped as he continued his task with unnecessary efficiency.

"Oh, that question again? I just have the manager and all the other employees under my heel," Kazuko's usual grin seemed more wicked than usual. "You want the details?"

"No, I don't really want to know about your 'team-building' exercises. Gotta protect my virgin ears and whatnot," Adohira deadpanned as he picked up the last piece of the _Railway of Despair_ board game.

"Oh please, with Sasami, Akazukin, and I hanging around you on a daily basis, 'virgin' is the last word I'd use to describe your ears." Kazuko giggled.

The tiniest bead of sweat trailed down Adohira's brow. He shook his head, clearly irritated for once. "Okay, I'm the most accommodating guy around, so do you want a long rant or the shortened version?"

"Oh, what could you have to complain about a pseudo harem anyways, mister? Well, if you do have something to say, make it long." Kazuko's voice feigned angelic innocence, but her eyes shot Adohira a knowing look.

The boy took a long, exaggerated breath in. "For starters, I heard you get legitimate wizard powers if you make it to thirty as a virgin. That's as good a deal as any, so sign me up. Secondly, the fact that you even mentioned my sister of all people sickens me to my stomach. Sure, Sasami's a little… different, but holy fucking shit, don't ever say that again. Thirdly, don't even mention this around Akazukin. I don't know what's wrong with that girl and I have even less of a clue as to why she seems so interested in me, but for your own damn safety, Kodaka… don't ever joke like this around her."

Adohira paused for a long moment as he stared into Kazuko's crimson eyes. "And finally, Kodaka… I'm going home. Later," the boy announced abruptly as he made his way to exit.

As Kazuko watched Adohira leave the room, she decided to throw a 'bomb' at him. "You know, just a few minutes ago, I sent a text to Akazukin… I told her that you and I were alone, cleaning up the mess from our night of fun and passion. Do you think she'll misunderstand it?" Kazuko could barely hold back from exploding into a fit of laughter.

"Kodaka. Go home. In fact, I'd walk you home myself… but I need to go hide in a locker or something equally as stupid." Adohira gave a half-hearted wave goodbye as he disappeared down the hall.

Kazuko stood on in silence and looked up to the ceiling "Oh well, life isn't fun without some dangers." She shrugged one last time before locking up the store and heading home...

* * *

**10:26 PM**

**North Wing - Underworld Demons**

Emizel sighed wistfully. Walking hand in hand with Axel down the dark, empty corridors of the mall, they made their way to the pet shop.

He turned to Axel with a smile on his face. "I know I told Kazuko the game was lame, but I actually had a lot of fun. We make a good team, yeah?"

Axel nodded in agreement. "Yeah, even if it did get kinda… dark at points. I'm glad you kept protecting me like that." A yawn escaped the boy's lips as he stretched out his arms. "I still think it's kinda funny that Adohira acts like he doesn't like us; he's such a tsundere."

Emizel laughed. "Oh man, don't let him hear you say that. Still, the look on his face would have been great." The blue haired boy wiped a tear from his eye before composing himself. "It's too bad Eline, Sarah, Tonbe, and Yumei all had to leave early. We could have done another game…"

"Yeah..." Axel sighed. "At least Tonbe helped us win, even if Kazuko didn't want to admit it. Maybe that's why she was so hard on us at the end?"

"Maybe, I dunno." Emizel shrugged as the two arrived at the Underworld Demons pet shop.

"Anyways, it may take me a bit to clean up. You can stay if you want, but you seem pretty tired. Unless you wanna keep me company? It's up to you," Emizel said as he unlocked the door to the store. Upon walking inside, various animal noises greeted the two.

Axel followed behind Emizel, shaking his head. "It's fine; I'll stick around for a bit," he said as he leaned against a counter. "So, I heard you guys got a new employee?"

Emizel nodded as he picked up a broom and began sweeping. He tossed Axel a jar of treats for the animals. "Oh, yeah. I hired him yesterday. Purple-haired kid named Riku, wears cat ears for some reason... something about losing a bet. He's nice enough and knows his animals. Great guy, really. I was basically running this place by myself since Gundham went overseas with a research group, so it'll be nice having an extra pair of hands around here."

Axel began feeding the animals, letting a parrot eat a handful of birdseed straight from his palm. "Really?" he laughed. "You totally gotta introduce us! Is he working tomorrow? I could swing by during my break."

Emizel paused, turning to Axel with a blank expression on his face. "What, thinking about cheating on me?" he teased as the other boy became flustered. "Don't worry, I'm just teasing you. Yeah, stop by tomorrow. He'll be here all day so I can train him. I'm sure he would LOVE to see you in your bear costume. I, for one, think it's hot." Emizel winked dramatically.

Axel groaned. "Don't remind me. I don't even wear that thing during breaks, you know. It gets all hot and stuffy in there... I feel gross just thinking about it."

Emizel let out a boisterous laugh. "And yet you insist on keeping that job anyways. FOR MINIMUM WAGE, at that!" Shaking his head, Emizel finished his sweeping. He moved over to Axel and smiled as he watched the other boy feed the remaining animals.

"It's an easy job!" Axel retorted. "I get to take pictures with kids all day, and you know I think it's adorable. Especially that one girl who comes in every day dressed like a detective." He paused, giving his boyfriend a small smile. "Plus, I get to spend the whole day close to you."

Emizel blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "That is a pretty good reason. After all, I am pretty awesome!" he exclaimed, puffing out his chest proudly. He then looked over the list of chores and saw that they were all completed. "Well, I guess that's everything," Emizel mused, turning to Axel and giving him a lopsided grin.

Axel's cheeks tinged a slight pink as he brought himself closer to Emizel. "So... you wanna pack up for the night? Because I think we could stay for a bit longer... " A sheepish, yet somewhat mischievous grin crept up on his face. "I think the others left, so, uh, it's just us..."

Emizel felt his cheeks heat up as Axel closed the distance between them "Y-Yeah, okay…" he muttered as Axel kissed him. "Let's just make this quick, okay?"

* * *

**10:31 PM**

**Someone's house - Bedroom**

Lying atop a puffy, pink bed was a petite girl with skin as pale as porcelain. She hummed happily as she flicked through the photo album of her cellphone. Stopping at one particular photo of a teal-haired boy, she kicked her legs cutely into the air and stared into his tangerine eyes. "Darling…" she murmured dreamily.

The girl's fantasies were rudely interrupted by the ping of a new text message. Pouting slightly, she tapped it open. Her silver eyes widened as she reread the message a countless number of times.

_Sup, porcelain girl? Just wanted to tell you that me and Adohira are quite 'busy' cleaning up our mess after an intense night together._

In a blur of motion, the girl sprang out of bed, tore off the frilly pink nightie she was wearing, and threw open her closet. Sorting through her vast array of Lolita fashion-inspired attire, she settled on a red dress with billowy sleeves and lace trim.

Resembling a doll, her pretty face displayed no expression as she left her house and made a beeline for a certain boy's home...

* * *

**And there it is, our short little prologue. Now, for the good part: For those of you who have OCs in Crit's stories, and you want your OC to be in this, the requirements are simple!**

**1) Tell us which OC your sending in (duh)**

**2) And this is important... tell us what shop your character is working at, of course it will be something related to their talent in LoD. Like the examples given here in the prologue, it can be an established store, or it can be a completely new made up store of your own! (Hint: we'd love to see more of the latter)**

**3) Simply PM me here on , or anyone of us on the discord! That's it!**

**Again, we're looking forward to seeing what you guys can send in! **


	2. Chapter 1: A Prelude to the Lewd

**Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for the positive reception! We're super happy to get another chapter out so soon, enjoy!**

* * *

**Night - 11:02 PM**

**The Sasamori Household - Front Door**

"Knock... Knock..." Akazukin vocalized as she mechanically tapped the bamboo-framed door in front of her. Standing as still as a statue, the girl briefly considered ringing the bell before she registered the sound of excited footsteps. The door swung open, revealing the lanky form of a girl with neon pink eyes and a cheshire smile.

"My my, if it isn't Little Red Riding Hood!" Sasami reached a hand down to the girl over a full foot shorter than her and rapidly patted her head. "A cutie patootie like yourself shouldn't be walking alone at night! Mr. Wolf will gobble you up, rawr~"

Akazukin demurely shifted her head away and blushed. "Is that so? Future sister-in-law, thank you for your concern... but umm, is my Darling home?"

"Yesss, but unfortunately, little Ado has already gone to bed. A growing boy like him needs his sleep, ya know?" Sasami chirped as she played with Akazukin's silky locks of pink hair.

"I see…" Akazukin's face fell. "I suppose I shall be heading home, then. I bid you goodnight, future sister-in-law."

"Just call her Big Sis already, you silly girl~ Nothing would make Sasami-san happier!" Without any warning, Sasami lifted Akazukin into the air and enacted a rib-breaking hug.

Air rushed out of the doll-like girl's mouth and her face momentarily contorted in pain. The discomfort was short-lived, however, as her expression shifted into a smug smile. She had taken another step closer to becoming family with her beloved Adohira.

"Hey hey~ Let Sasami-san give you some love advice, okay? The secret to winning little bro's heart… is to give him lots of hugs just like this!" Giggling, she squeezed Akazukin one last time before letting her down.

The pinkette's mouth opened in awe upon hearing what she thought was amazing advice. Producing a notebook from within her poofy dress, she hastily scribbled Sasami's words down verbatim. "Thank you so much, older sister Sasami!" She performed a cute little curtsy in appreciation.

"Aww~ You really are just the cutest, aren't you? Sasami-san can't understand why little Ado doesn't put a ring on you already. You two are perfect for each other!" she exclaimed.

Akazukin brought her hands up to her rosy cheeks and squirmed in place. "Darling is just so shy~ It's okay, I understand. I'll simply wait until he's ready to start our new life together… Oh, but before I take my leave, has Darling ever mentioned how many children he wants? Do you think twenty is a reasonable number?!" she blurted out excitedly, hopping up and down like a spring.

The older girl giggled and patted Akazukin's head again. "Twenty sounds perfect! Sasami-san can't wait to meet all her future nieces and nephews. Speaking of which, she might just have a little tip to help the two of you get started..."

* * *

**The Next Day - Opening Time - 10:00 AM**

**North Wing - Underworld Demons**

Emizel munched on a banana nut muffin and yawned as he opened the door to Underworld Demons. He was surprised to see Riku Ito, his newest hire, already inside and cleaning the store.

"You… you didn't have to come in this early, y'know!" Emizel said, scratching the back of his head.

"Nah, I was happy to!" the purple-haired boy replied, a bright smile on his face as he mopped the floor. "By the way, Boss-"

"You don't have to call me that. In fact, I'd prefer it if you didn't…" Emizel cut in.

"-some blonde girl was waiting at the door when I opened up." Riku continued, as if ignoring Emizel. "Said something about applying for a job."

Emizel sighed, folding his arms. "Riku, I literally just hired YOU. Are you saying you let her in to apply for the job I just gave you? Do you WANT to get fired?!" The blue-haired boy exclaimed, exasperated. He unscrewed a bottle of water and began chugging it down.

"No, no! Of course not!" Riku laughed sheepishly. "Man, that would be pretty stupid of me! Nah, she said she was here about that other position, the veterinary one."

Emizel choked on his water, nearly coughing some of it back up. "W-What? Really?" He sat the bottle down. Rushing over to Riku, he gripped his shoulders and shook him back and forth wildly. "Where is she? Please don't tell me you turned her away!"

"W-Whoa!" Riku gasped, dropping his mop. "Uhm, of course not! She's in the backroom; I told her you would be in soon… did I do something wrong?"

"Yes! I mean, no! Uh, just wait here and help any customers that come in!" Emizel told him, hastily searching through a desk drawer for a notepad.

"B-But I haven't been trained yet…"

"Don't worry, you'll do fine!" the blue haired boy told him dismissively, pulling out the first notepad and pen he found. "You don't understand, Riku. I've been looking for a veterinarian FOR MONTHS. Whenever a veterinarian does happen to apply for this job, they hightail it out of here after I tell them what types of animals they'll be working with… can't say I blame them, though…" Emizel deflated as he gestured to a tank containing several water moccasins and boa constrictors. "I mean, we did have that one incident a few years ago, where that one vet who worked here for a bit got bitten and almost died. He threatened to sue us into an oblivion, and we would have lost everything... But thankfully, Gundham called his buddy, who happened to be some Yakuza heir, and he… made the problem go away. Yeah, Gundham has some weird connections."

Emizel snapped up, noticing the flabbergasted and slightly scared look on Riku's face. "Oh, don't worry! You personally won't be handling any dangerous animals! Now, I'm gonna go interview this girl, waste of time it may be, so just stand up here. Smile and wave for any customers, 'kay?"

When Riku nodded, Emizel sighed and headed for the back room, mentally preparing himself for what he assumed would be a short yet painful interview.

As he entered the breakroom, he took in the sight of the blonde girl with her hair done in buns patiently seated in front of his desk. Emizel noticed she had picked up a framed photo of him and Gundham, surrounded by various different types of animals, and was looking over it carefully. When she noticed he had came in, she quickly sat the photo back down, an embarrassed look on her face. As she turned towards him, Emizel noticed that she certainly looked the part, donning a fancy, high quality lab coat.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, a heavy british accent embedded in her voice. "I just saw the photo, and I couldn't resist! If you don't mind me asking, are those really all of your animals?"

'_Well, she's enthusiastic. That's good I suppose…' _Emizel considered to himself. He moved towards her, stretching out his hand. "Sure is! My cousin's mostly, but yeah." He chuckled. "I'm Emizel Tanaka, acting manager here while my cousin is gone overseas."

The girl accepted his handshake, a bright smile on her face "Pleasure to meet you, Emizel. I'm Alice Bailey. I'm sure your odd employee with the cat ears told you, but I hope to apply for the position of veterinarian," Alice told him as Emizel took his seat across from her. "Here's my resume, by the way," she said, stretching out her hands and handing him a thick folder with dozens of papers. "As you'll see, I have plenty of previous experience, and-" Alice let out a small gasp and a squeak when Emizel simply tossed the resume into the trash can, hardly even glancing at it.

"Sorry, not to be rude, but I don't really care," he told her bluntly. "All the experience in the world doesn't foster a love for animals." Emizel turned to the cage behind his desk, gently removed a snow white rabbit, then set it down on the desk before them. "Can you tell me-"

"Oh my, how adorable!" the bun-haired girl gushed, gently picking it up and cradling it in her arms. "_Lepus americanus, _commonly known as the Snowshoe Hare… does she have a name?"

Emizel balked at her, caught off guard. He noted her knowledge, the extreme care she had when handling animals, and her enthusiasm.

"O-Oh, her name is Lucky… She was my first pet, and was there for me during a pretty dark time in my life. She's quite special to me," he mentioned, attempting to sound nonchalant about it. "Anyways…" Emizel continued, taking Lucky from Alice and putting her back in her cage. "You're clearly qualified enough…" the blue-haired boy slightly winced when he saw the hopeful smile that began to appear on her face. "But, uh, before I hire you… I legally have to inform you about the types of animals you'll be working with," he said cautiously. "We have stuff like-"

"Oh, I'm well aware of your reputation," Alice informed him, not even skipping a beat.

Emizel blinked. "I'm sorry?"

Alice giggled uncontrollably before quickly composing herself. "I did my research before coming in today. About two years ago, an employee almost died here, right?"

Noticing the pale look on Emizel's face, she continued. "Not only that, but for the past year, every person you have tried to hire walks out after a day's work, maximum. They said on your Yelp reviews, and I quote, pardon my language, 'This place is fucking crazy, stay clear at all costs. There are animals so deadly and dangerous, it's a wonder why there isn't a single law prohibiting them, much less for casual sale. The owner with blue hair is even crazier, and on more than one occasion, has been caught screwing his boyfriend in the-'"

Alice was abruptly cut off, as Emizel knelt before her, a pleading look on his face. "Please, please take this job! I'll pay you whatever you want, we just need a veterinarian!" he wailed.

Alice blinked again before smiling. "I was planning on still wanting the job… after all, if I knew all this before coming here, why would I bother showing up at all?"

Now Emizel was the one who had a hopeful look on his face. "So, does this mean…?"

The strawberry blonde-haired girl nodded. "You see, I want to work in this environment. Not only will it challenge me, but it seems I will be able to work with animals that I otherwise would not be able to see. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I used to be in a mercenary group," she winked at him. It wasn't clear whether she was joking or not.

Emizel blinked, flabbergasted, before clearing his throat. "Uh, right! Sounds great!" he replied quickly, fumbling for a specific piece of paper in his desk. "Sign herem please." he said, handing her a stack of papers and a pen.

Alice twirled the pen in her hands as she read over the papers carefully. She stopped at one in particular. "What's this one here, if you don't mind me asking?"

Emizel coughed, doing his best to act casual. "Oh, nothing! It just says that we're not responsible for any death, dismemberment, or any other means of physical harm, yada yada yada…"

Alice blinked. "Huh, okay." She shrugged before signing. "All right, all done!"

Emizel took the papers quickly. "Let me just make a quick copy for the lawyers… and done!" he exclaimed happily, filing the papers away. He turned back to Alice, a wide, mischievous smile on his face.

"Welcome, Alice Bailey, to the Tanaka Empire."

* * *

**3:20 PM**

**South Wing - Low-Key Law the Sin**

It was another lovely afternoon in the Legacy Mall. Students that just exited from classes were mainly seen among crowds of people passing by. Kazuko stood in front of one of the most infamous stores in the entire mall, Low-Key Law the Sin.

"Well, it's time to restock my pranking arsenal" Kazuko stated to no one in particular as she entered the store. Normally, at this hour, Kazuko should've been working, but she suddenly decided to come to this store and forced whatever she had to do onto her co-workers.

Even if they wanted to complain, it would had been impossible since the troll had them wrapped perfectly around her finger...

Low-Key Law the Sin was a store filled with all sorts of mischief-making goods. The store was small, but Kazuko could tell that everything in it was top quality. That, however, was something she had already learned a long time ago. Her eyes immediately landed on an androgynous-looking individual though Kazuko knew that that person was a HE.

As soon as the owner of the shop with orange fox ears on top of his head, Raef Hyzaki, noticed Kazuko, he flashed a smile, revealing small fake fangs. "Ah, Miss Kodaka, welcome!" Raef then extended his hand to Kazuko as an incentive for a handshake.

"Hiya Raef," Kazuko smiled innocently as she reached out her arm fully covered by the sleeves of her oversized hoodie.

As soon as the owner of the store and the gamer girl were about to touch hands, they both immediately pulled back. The two of them chuckled lightly.

"Seems like this time is also a draw, Miss Kodaka," Raef mused as he revealed a small device in his hand.

"Yeah, we're a bit too smart in that regard to fall for this," Kazuko quipped as she rolled up her sleeve, revealing a buzzer in her hand just like the one Raef had.

"Sure, but I'm nowhere near giving up just yet," Raef boasted with a daring grin.

"Me neither, my dear furry friend." Kazuko flashed her usual grin as she pulled down her sleeve. "Speaking of which, I saw a new guy at Emizel's pet shop that might just challenge you for the title of Best Local Furry."

"I don't know about that other guy, but at the very least, I'm not a furry. The fox is my spiritual animal," Raef deadpanned as he crossed his arms. "Well, what brings you here today, Miss Kodaka?"

"Oh right," Kazuko's eyes lit up as she remembered why she came to the store in the first place. "For starters, I need to restock on the usual."

Raef raised an eyebrow at that. "Already? Normally, you buy enough to last you a month, and yet it hasn't even been two weeks since you last came here," Raef mused, drumming his fingers along his chin.

Kazuko sheepishly scratched the back of her head. "Well, have you heard about that little incident at The Knowledge of Athena?"

"Evan's book store? What about it…" Raef trailed off, his eyes widening as realization dawned upon him. "Oh, it was you."

"Yup, me… and Dylan, too. But in my defense, I originally went to that bookstore thinking there might be some _God of War_ goods, so imagine my disappointment when I didn't find anything from that franchise. I mean, come on, how do you make a Greek-themed bookstore without one of the most bloody Greek characters in fictional history, Kratos?" Kazuko was pouting like a child as she continued. "So, I got the idea of screwing with Evan a little. As I went back to my store to get my pranking equipment, I ran into Dylan and recruited him. The rest, well, I think everyone in that wing of the mall knows what happened!" Kazuko started howling in laughter.

The fox-eared boy chuckled as he shook his head slowly. "And Dylan's supposed to be the head of this mall's human resources department. How he got such a position is an even bigger mystery than how you're able to keep your job, Miss Kodaka."

Kazuko shrugged, dismissing the jab at her. "I may need to stay low for a few days. Shuuya has been looking around wanting to punish whoever did it. Luckily, our mall's security guard already has his hands full with that thief who has been running around lately."

"It's never a dull moment for you, is it?" The boy's voice sounded as he walked behind a curtain and disappeared from view.

"Every moment's an amazing adventure with me!" Kazuko exclaimed smugly.

A few minutes later, Raef returned with a number of small boxes. "The total will be the same as always," Raef said with a smile. He then realized something. "Wait, you said the usual was just 'for starters,' right?"

GameStop's part-timer smirked as a mischievous light flashed through her crimson eyes. "Well, I wanted to talk with a fellow prankster and hear their opinion on something funny."

"Oh," Raef's fox ears twitched slightly as a sly smile settled on his face. "The fox senses mischief blooming on the horizon... The fox shall hear you out."

"First, listen to how it all started, and then you can help me with ideas on how to stir that pot of shit even further." Kazuko giggled, then leaned in closer to the fox-eared boy. "It all started when I crashed a train… and ends with me sending a text to a certain yandere..."

* * *

**6:09 PM ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

**West Wing - Zone d'Erotica**

Glancing from side to side, Akazukin waited until the corridor was relatively free of people. Seeing her chance, she sprung forth as fast as her little feet could carry her until she stood before the heavy metal doors of a shop with tinted windows. The neon pink sign above the door read, "Zone d'Erotica - What's Your Pleasure?"

Akazukin gulped as she patted down her gothic lolita dress. "Older sister Sasami told me to come here… I can't let her down!" Working up her courage, the little girl stood up on her tiptoes and reached for the handle. She let out a cute yelp and almost fell when the door suddenly swung inward.

"Are you going to enter today or what?" A slightly irritated voice called out. Standing before her was what one could only describe as a succubus. Adjusting the leather straps that pinched at her voluptuous body, the woman shook her head and corrected herself. "Sorry, I'm still new to this. Let me try again. Welcome to Zone d'Erotica, the store that can satisfy any of your pleasures!"

The pinkette stared at the woman's leathery bat wings and forked tail. Concluding that they were well-made, yet ultimately fake, she shyly met the taller woman's gaze. "Umm… Hello, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Akazukin," she finished with a curtsy.

Nozomi Nara, employee of the store, was taken aback by the courtesy showed. Such etiquette was rare in general these days. "Um, okay. Akazukin, was it? What can we help you with?"

Squirming in place, Akazukin's voice was barely above a whisper as she stammered, "I… am in search of love advice. I was told there was a legendary woman here who knew how to capture the heart of any man. Could it be you?"

"That's certainly not me," Nozomi mumbled as craned her head over her shoulder. "Tiana! I think someone's looking for you!" she hollered before turning back to Akazukin. "Just wait a minute, she'll be here soon."

"Coming~" a gentle, motherly voice called out from further within. A few seconds later, a woman with a full-bodied figure came into view. Tiana Blake, the Owner of Zone d'Erotica, was decked out in full dominatrix garb. A leather crop in hand, she greeted Akazukin with a warm smile. "Oh? You're the girl from Porcelain Pink, aren't you? Is this your first time? Don't worry, I'll walk you through the steps. Come in!"

Akazukin fidgeted as she stepped past Nozomi and was walked into the store. Her eyes slowly widened as she took in all the… toys displayed along the walls of the store's interior.

"I work in the West Wing as well… but I never realized a shop like this existed. It's… impressive," she murmured.

"Oh, that's kind of you to say" Tiana smiled sheepishly, a bit embarrassed. "We opened up shop only a few weeks ago. Apart from a few regulars-"

"One of those regulars is the freaking mascot from this mall. I have mixed feelings about that," Nozomi casually interrupted before disappearing behind a red velvet curtain.

"-business has been slow, but that's because we haven't been allowed to do any advertising. The mall officials are only allowing us to operate as long as we keep out of the public eye, you see, hence the low-traffic locale, as well," Tiana mused, unperturbed.

"I see... I can only imagine the difficulties you have endured," Akazukin offered her condolences as she absent-mindedly admired a leather corset worn by a mannequin.

"Thank you, but I consider myself fortunate, really. All the challenges are worth it in order to give people the connections they seek. And I have the most wonderful employees to help me; I really couldn't ask for anything more. Nozomi's a bit feisty, but that's well-suited to this line of work. And Alexander is quite the charmer. I'm betting it won't be long before he has his own fanclub." Tiana giggled as she covered her mouth.

Twiddling her pale fingers, Akazukin stood awkwardly in place.

Noticing the girl's silence, Tiana cocked her hip and briefly brought a palm to her forehead. "Oh, heavens. I'm so sorry for boring you, dear. How can I help you?"

"My Darling- apologies, I mean Adohira," she corrected herself, blushing at the mere mention of his name. "As a famed tamer of men, do you know how I can win his heart? I have so many love rivals these days…" Akazukin visibly wilted with a sigh.

"Adohira? You mean that grumpy boy? Hmm… Well, I wouldn't exactly call myself a 'tamer of men...'" Tiana tapped a finger against her lips. "But there are a few things you could try… They're all a little… risky, however."

"Anything! I'll do anything! I'd even dress up like that harlot for Darling!" Akazukin proclaimed excitedly and without shame.

"Hey!" Nozomi's voice rang out from behind the curtains. "I heard that!"

"Hahahaha..." Tiana chuckled nervously. This was going to be a long night.


	3. Chapter 2: Nothing Lewd Happens Here

**Not much to say, except a big thanks and kudos to Trust Me for writing the majority of this chapter. You rock dude.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Nothing Lewd Happens This Chapter**

**Friday - 12:23 PM**

**Central Hub - The Noble's Café**

Nestled within the heart of the Hub, a two-storied building stood tall and proudly displayed signs plastered with Hiragana fonts and chibi anime faces. The Noble's Café, ran by Sebastian Cornelez, was the most popular maid café in the mall, and it showed. A long line of hopeful men and women (but mostly men) wrapped around the building; contending with the lunch hour rush would be difficult.

Two manly men (the very manliest) stood a short distance away. The taller one, dressed casually in his gray hoodie and black sweatpants, ran a hand through his curly black hair. Ken Kishi, owner of Kishi Weapons and Armor, had seen many fierce (LARP) battles during his time, but the sight of so many otaku in one place left him nearly speechless.

"So the rumors are true... Birds of a feather fight together." He drummed his fingers along the hilt of the recreational saber at his side.

"I do not see any birds, let alone fighting, but perhaps that is because I am so very short," a clinical and exceedingly effeminate voice noted.

Ken craned his neck down to look at Eisei Amane, the owner and operator of Amane Dental Clinic. Dr. Amane, whose head barely reached the other man's chest, was... to put it plainly, dressed like a little girl. The twenty-seven-year-old man was wearing a frilly white skirt, a pink blouse that hung off his shoulder, and white thigh-high stockings. Freshly cut roses were looped around his puffy lavender twin tails. Were he not the mall's most infamous dentist, the average person would find it impossible to see him as anything but a girl straight out of some Ecchi anime. He even had a purple lollipop between his little lips.

"Eisei, do we really have to have lunch here? I know you said you'd treat me for having zero cavities at my last check-up, but this wasn't what I was expecting."

"Rest assured, Ken. The Noble's Café is a wondrous place. Sebastian is a professional, and his staff is exceptional." Eisei paused. There was the audible 'pop' of his lollipop leaving his mouth. "I think. I heard there has recently been a change in staff. To tell you the truth, I have been so very busy and have not gone in quite some time myself."

Ken chuckled when he saw his friend pout. "So that's the real reason why you wanted to come here, huh? That's fine and all, but how are we going to get in? The line's massive."

"Do not worry. I have already made a reservation a week in advance for us." Eisei walked forward with a confident spring in his tiny steps.

As they neared the crowd, Ken was surprised to see it part for them, or more specifically, for Eisei. Reverent murmurs spread through the sweaty crowd as some even bowed their heads to the dental idol. For his part, Eisei waved his dainty hands as he passed them by.

"I'm always amazed by how popular you are among a certain... demographic. As they say, you catch more guys with honey than with vinegar," Ken mused at they finally stood before the glass door. Through the rose-tinted glass, he could make out faint vignettes of the people inside.

"Perhaps you could catch me with a cleverly-designed trap utilizing honey as the active bait, but I do not think it is a fair generalization to make about all males. Furthermore, there may be some who prefer the taste of vinegar to honey," Eisei replied dispassionately as he feebly pulled on the door's handle.

Ken reached over and effortlessly opened the door for him, prompting the jingle of bells.

"_Okaerinasai!" _The two were immediately greeted by a sickeningly sweet voice. Dressed in a maid's pinafore and accompanying garments, an ivory-skinned woman with an hourglass figure stood before the pair. Fox ears stood up from her long raven hair streaked with white, and a bundle of bushy fox tails trailed out from under her dress. The momentary mirth on her face faded as soon as she saw Eisei in all his loli-esque glory. Turning to Ken, the pupils of her cerulean eyes narrowed into slits as she slowly batted her long eyelashes.

"_Goshujin-sama_," she cautioned, her voice dropping dangerously low, "isn't your date a little young?"

The man's jaw dropped, and his eyes widened in panic. "N-No, you misunderstand! This is my friend, Eisei."

"You must be new here. I am an adult, or as some would say, a 'legal loli,'" Eisei pointed out with a raised finger. "However, the term 'legal shota' would be more accurate, as I am in fact male. Ken and I are simply two straight men doing straight men things together. Whatever that implies. I do not actually know. This is beyond my area of expertise."

Somewhere in the forested park on the mall's rooftop, a single cricket chirped.

"Perhaps my lack of knowledge is because I am not actually straight." Eisei lifted his chin and straightened his back. "My apologies. Now I am straight."

"Oookay then..." the kitsune-themed maid replied, giving them both a weird look. Ken briefly considered death to be his only escape.

"Is there a cause for concern, Miss Von Schwarz?" a smooth baritone asked from further within the busy café. The proprietor of the café calmly made his way over to the trio. Sebastian Cornelez was the very image of a dapper butler. His heterochromatic eyes, red and orange, lit up when he saw Eisei.

"Master Eisei, it is a pleasure to see you again," he said as he bowed deeply. Sebastian gestured to a nearby empty table. "Gentlemen, please take a seat. Ariana will take your orders."

"I hope Nozomi's enjoying her new job more than I am.." she muttered under her breath.

"Is something the matter, Miss Von Schwarz?" Sebastian asked again, a faint hint of disapproval in his tone.

"No, no, of course not! I'm happy to serve!" Ariana immediately flashed a brilliant smile and struck an unpracticed, clumsy pose. She then handed out oversized heart-shaped menus to Ken and Eisei, who had already taken their reversed seats.

"Superb. Gentlemen, I hope you enjoy all that we have to offer. I must return to my duties." Sebastian gave a polite nod goodbye as he made his way over to another group of café-goers, making sure that they wanted for nothing.

Looking over the decorated menu, Ken rubbed his chin, clearly baffled. "Eisei, what do you suppose an 'Omu raisu' is?"

"To suppose is to make an assumption with neither proof nor the certainty of true knowledge. I do not suppose, for I know the answer. 'Omu raisu' is a stereotypically Japanese pronunciation of the English words 'omelette rice', and an omelette rice is—"

Ken held his hands up in a pleading manner. "Okay, okay! I get it, thank you. I'll just have that; it's one of the few things on this menu that sounds like actual food."

Ariana let out a knowing sigh. The kitsune maid already knew what ordering the omelette rice meant for her. She turned to Eisei. "And you, kid?"

"One strawberry parfait, one custard pudding, one chocolate sundae, one—"

"Uh huh, so one of every sweet on the menu. Got it." Ariana resisted the urge to roll her eyes and forced herself to wink instead. Striking another pose, she pressed her fingers into the shape of a fox's head. "_Arigatou gozaimasu~_ Your orders will be coming right up, _kon kon~_"

As Ken watched the woman hightail it out of there, he asked Eisei, "What did she say at the end there? Was that some sort of spell?"

"From my understanding of the topic, '_kon kon_' is a Japanese onomatopoeia for the noise a fox makes. And yes, foxes do make noises. I do not, however, believe they are capable of speech, and so the question and significance of 'What Does the Fox Say?' is lost on me."

Ken stared at Eisei. Eisei simply stared back. The 'not-a-gay-couple' couple sat in silence amidst the cafe's chattering. Some time later, Ariana returned with a cart stacked precariously with sweets and a single plate of omelette rice.

"Thank you for waiting~" With an overdone smile on her face, the kitsune maid swiftly began setting the plates down on their table.

Glancing at the gargantuan gathering of sweets spread out before his friend, Ken chuckled. "I think you bit off more than you can barbeque."

"Your statement is false. Although my zeal to consume glucose is at an all-time high, I have yet to take a single bite. And I do not have any intention of barbecuing these items. That is simply irrational." Eisei's cherubic face was as expressionless as always, but a thin line of drool leaked from his mouth.

"Umm, I think he meant 'more than you can chew.'" Shaking her head, Ariana brought out a bottle of ketchup. "Alright, let's get this over with… What do you want?"

"What do I want?" Ken repeated, tilting his head.

"Munch munch," Eisei literally vocalized between spoonfuls of his parfait. "As is traditional in maid cafés, she is asking what you want drawn on your omelette."

"Oh. Hmm, if it's not too difficult, how about a horse?" Ken suggested, thinking of his family's horse ranch back home. Memories of horseback riding when he was a child surged forth. The wind in his hair... the acrid aroma of manure in the air...

"Great. One horse coming right up." Ariana flipped the ketchup bottle and hastily sketched some sort of four-legged beast. It could've been a dog, a cow, or even a giraffe, but apparently this was a horse.

Ken shrugged and picked up his spoon. "Thank you? I'll be digging right in—"

"Stop. Munch munch." Eisei held up a hand. His cheeks were covered in the rainbow crumbs of recently devoured macarons. "She has to do the 'thing' first."

"The thing?" He halted his hand.

"Yes. The thing." Ariana sighed wearily. Putting her hands together into the shape of a heart, she thrusted them out to the plate of omelette rice. "_Moe Moe Love Beam! Kyun~_"

"Yay." Eisei applauded softly.

"Can I... eat now?" Ken held his spoon with uncertainty. "Is it safe?"

"Go ahead, eat your heart out," Ariana replied with a yawn.

"Do not eat your heart, Ken. Autosarcophagy of the heart would result in a painful death. I know this because—"

And thus, the rest of Ken's meal was spent half-listening to the dentist ramble on and on about the mechanics of death via self-cannibalism. At least the Omu raisu was good.

* * *

**Friday Night - 7:38 PM**

**Central Hub - Dreamland Theatre - Backstage Lounge**

About twenty minutes before the night's performance began, a slender girl with hazel eyes sighed. Dolly Dewitt, Dreamland Theatre's one and only ventriloquist, sat down in an armchair and began to smooth out the wrinkles in her sky blue gown. Glancing nervously up at the room's grandfather clock, the young lady then fussed with the butterfly barrette holding her chestnut hair up.

"Quit fussin' over your appearance, Dolls. You look fine. We look fine." Dolly's shoulders jumped a bit upon hearing the high-pitched voice. She glanced down at the puppet beside her, who was dressed in identical attire and very much resembled a miniature version of the girl.

"You really think so, Becky? I mean... Chloe chose these hairpins herself and said they would look 'fabulous' on us, but I'm just not used to wearing something so pretty," Dolly murmured, touching her barrette once more. "I'm not sure what I'd do if the audience laughed at me..."

Becky poked at her own barrette, which seemed comically oversized on her head, and snickered. "Heh, come on, Dolls. How long have we been working here now? News flash, it's been over a month and not a single crowd has booed us! We're more popular than that Adohira schmuck to boot!"

"Sheesh, I wish I was more popular than that Adohira schmuck," a voice nonchalantly commented from the door. With a steel briefcase in hand and a blue wizard hat on his head, Adohira entered the room and yawned. "My apologies, I didn't mean to interrupt your pre-show ritual. Carry on, you two."

"Hi, Adohira..." Dolly briefly raised her hand in greeting. "Umm, sorry, Becky didn't mean to be rude. She was just trying her best to encourage me. Oh, but you probably already knew that..."

"Tch! Well, well, well, if isn't the infamous playboy himself. Listen up, mister. Unless you want to end up with less limbs than Sigmund, you better keep your distance from Dolls," the puppet spat with venom in her voice.

Adohira raised an eyebrow. "This is the third time I've been called a 'playboy' today. Is there a rumor going around or something? Well, when in doubt, blame Kodaka, I guess..." The boy sighed as he brushed his teal hair back.

"Becky, please!" Dolly exclaimed before twiddling her thumbs. "Adohira has been really nice to us... Okay, maybe he's done some weird stuff in the past, but-"

Just as Dolly was finishing her sentence, Adohira abruptly made his way up to the pair. Without a word, he bent down on one knee, settled his briefcase on the ground, and lifted the puppet's tiny dress in a single, fluid motion. "Good. I can tell you've been giving her the proper maintenance," he mused to Dolly, whose mouth gaped as a furious blush colored her face.

"Y-You d-dollfucker! You really are a dollfucker!" Becky shouted indignantly and ineffectively flailed her fists down upon the boy's head. Adohira's thick skull shielded him from any would-be damage. Seriously, what a blockhead.

"Nice proportions," he noted with a satisfied nod. Having finished his inspection, he let go of the aggrieved puppet's dress and casually took a seat in the armchair next to theirs. "I'm not sure why you're acting so surprised. As the senior puppeteer, it's my responsibility to make sure you're in working order before the show."

"Are you on the spectrum, Mr. Dollfucker?!" Becky screeched. "I've been defiled! I'll never be able to marry now!"

"C-Calm down, Becky," Dolly sniffed as the beginnings of tears welled up in her eyes. "How could you, Adohira? We trusted you..."

"Uh. What?" Adohira lightly scratched his neck. "Should I hand myself over to security or something? Seriously, what did I do?"

"Sexual harassment! And even worse, you made Dolls cry!" Becky accused condemningly. "I'm suing you for all your worth! ...Which can't be much."

"I see, I see." Adohira nodded in a sagely manner. He stood up and faced the two. "Well, that'll have to wait until after the show. It's almost time to begin. Come on, let's go." The boy produced an embroidered handkerchief from his coat and held it out to Dolly.

The Ventriloquist stared down at the handkerchief for a moment, before she accepted the offering and dabbed away her tears. After another spell of hesitation, she gingerly settled her hand onto his and rose up with the boy's assistance. "Thank you..." she mumbled.

"Don't thank me, I'm the bad guy here," the boy lightly chided. He immediately began to wonder when the appropriate time to disentangle his hand from hers would be.

"What a fuckin' criminal, gah!" Becky grumbled as Dolly picked the puppet up with her free hand. The trio of performers then began to make their way on stage.

"We've got a full house tonight," Adohira mused, deftly sliding his hand free from Dolly's. He then undid the latches of his briefcase. "Let's give them a show to remember, yeah?"

Becky rolled her glass eyes and made a gagging noise. "Nah, they'll be makin' a beeline for the bars after tonight, hoping to forget your ugly mug, no doubt!"

A small smile found its way onto Dolly's face, and she giggled softly. They were just about to perform in front of an audience of hundreds, and yet her nerves were calm.

* * *

**The Next Day - 11:29 AM**

**West Wing - A Nameless Antique Store**

A storm was brewing past the sign that read, "_If you're looking for an antique store, you've come to the wrong place. Old World Treasures is at the other end of the mall. Start walking._"

"You're coming with me," said Shuuya Yukimura, the security guard who people claimed, 'had ice in his veins.' Crossing his arms, he stared down at the store's owner who had been in the middle of dismantling an old clock. "You've been charged with sexual harassment."

"What," replied Adohira.


	4. Chapter 3: Think of the Children

**Chapter 3: Think of the Children**

**11:30 AM**

**West Wing - A Nameless Antique Store**

Shuuya's red eyes gave him the impression of a hawk. Adohira could feel their gaze burning into him, searching for his soul. Unfortunately for the security guard, this boy _had no soul._

Wordlessly, the boy rose from his chair and came out from behind the counter. Anticipating a getaway attempt, Shuuya was preparing himself to chase until he saw Adohira walk toward a shelf instead of the exit. Shuuya calmly observed the boy pick up a barstool carved from some sort of exotic lumber and slide it over in his direction. Stopping it with his foot, Shuuya gave the boy a questioning look.

"Take a seat. I don't like forcing people to stand while I'm the only one who sits, especially if we're going to have any sort of lengthy discussion. Common courtesy and whatnot."

_Is this boy... on the spectrum? Does he not understand the situation? _Shuuya briefly considered but shook the rude thoughts away. In Shuuya's defence, this was a thought many have had about Adohira at one point or another. Regardless, it wasn't like him to make such hasty judgments. And now that he really thought about it... coming here in the first place was a rather hasty judgment.

"Thank you, but I'll be just fine standing. Now, I suspect you know why I'm here and what exactly it is that you've done," Shuuya said in a warning tone as he straightened his solid black tie.

"Sexual harassment, huh?" the boy mused as he returned to his own seat. "Admittedly, I'm not even sure what that means in this day and age. I did flip a skirt last night, but that was solely a matter of business."

"So you say, however, Miss Dewitt was quite upset—"

"Was it Dolly, or was it Becky who spoke?"

Shuuya rested his head upon a fist. "Becky? You don't mean that doll she always carries around, do you? Yes, I suppose it was the doll speaking, but Miss Dewitt is a ventriloquist; I wrote it off as an artistic quirk of hers."

"Yeah, Dolly's truly dedicated to her craft. It's admirable, really." Adohira's lips curled into a faint smile. "And disheartening in a way too... No, ignore me, what am I even saying? I don't see anything wrong with having a doll for a best friend. I talk to dolls all the time myself."

Ignoring the weirder parts of what Adohira just said, Shuuya held up a hand. "Hold on a moment. I checked the security footage; the angle was off, so I couldn't see too clearly what happened, but it certainly sounded like you had done something to Miss Dewitt. Instead, you're telling me it was the doll's dress you flipped?"

"Sure, and I guess I'm confessing to the crime right now." Adohira shrugged.

Shuuya narrowed his eyes. A moment passed, and sensing no deceit from the boy, he then nodded with a sigh. "Hmm, I believe you. Well, I can't arrest you for that. That's just… silly."

"Mr. Yukimura, just arrest me already. Even though I suspect her feelings aren't really all that hurt and this is just an elaborate prank, the fact is, I fucked up. And I did make Dolly cry. Hurry up and handcuff me." The boy rose from his chair and held his arms out to the puzzled security guard.

"I can't just—"

"Do it."

Shaking his head in a resigned manner, Shuuya took out a pair of handcuffs and clasped them around the boy's slender arms. "There. Are you happy now?"

With an inscrutable look on his face, Adohira answered, "No, I only feel ashamed of myself. My parents are going to have a heart attack once they realize they've raised a criminal, and my sister will… Well, I'm actually not sure. Sasami might bake a cake or something."

"Alright, I should get going. Listen, I'll be back right before closing time to free you. In the meanwhile, just… reflect upon your mistakes in a quiet manner. Thank you," he added as an afterthought and began to leave the store.

"No, thank you, Mr. Yukimura. You're one of the few sane men in this madhouse mislabeled as a mall… I don't blame the old man for abandoning ship as soon as he found someone to watch the store."

Shuuya halted and craned his head back. "You mean the previous owner of this store, don't you? I must admit, I've been curious about it for a while now. What ever happened to Mr. Kizakura?"

"I'll tell you what the old man told me: He said he was going on a vacation with no designated end date. It's been over a year now... Honestly, I think he's dead."

"That's a rather pessimistic view, but I can see where you're coming from. Mr. Kizakura always struck me as a flippant man. He was one of the few people I could never quite get a handle on." Shuuya paused, and for just a moment, thought that the boy reminded him of Koichi just a little bit.

Adohira simply shrugged, which caused the chain between his wrists to jingle. "Well, wherever he is now, he certainly chose the wrong person to mind the store. I haven't sold anything in the last three months, and why should I? Ninety-nine percent of the junk in here is better suited as scrap metal and spare parts; Old World Treasures is where people should really be shopping for antiques."

Scanning the shelves filled with… unidentifiable stuff, Shuuya nodded. "I can't find any reason to disagree. Well then, once again, I'll be back before closing time. Try not to get into too much more trouble, young man... And for the peace of this mall, just choose one of those poor girls to date already," he said with a sharp sigh. Dusting off his suit, the man left without another word.

"What?" Adohira voiced his confusion to no one in particular. He glanced down at the steel cuffs that scraped against the tender skin of his wrists. "...I could easily pick these open, but I won't. Gotta do my time and whatnot."

Upon exiting the store, Shuuya Yukimura came face to face with a strange sight. There was a pink-haired girl dolled up in one of the most exquisite dresses he had ever seen. Her dress of black and white lace resembled a wedding gown with clear influences from a maid's outfit. At that moment, Shuuya stopped himself from mentally describing the whole thing, since it was all quite… fetishistic. He knew who she was.

"You're here to see Adohira, aren't you?" Shuuya mused, and suddenly feeling awkward, shook his head apologetically. "No, my apologies, miss. It's not my job to interrogate people without a proper reason. I hope you have a lovely visit."

Akazukin barely reacted to the man and gave no reply as he walked away. The entirety of her focus was directed at the aged wooden door in front of her.

Adohira's antique store once had a name, but the blocky letters that spelled it out had fallen off one by one. Mr. Kizakura had been too much of a cheapskate (or simply too lazy) to bother with repairs, and so as the years passed, the name was all but lost. Perhaps Koichi himself remembered it, but considering his "extended vacation," that man was as good as dead. No, seriously, don't expect him to make an actual appearance in this story.

Tightening her grip around what looked to be a gift box wrapped with a pink bow, Akazukin meticulously reviewed all the arcane "knowledge" she had gained at Zone d'Erotica. In her mind, today was the day she finally made Darling hers… or rather, she made herself his. Just before she entered, she hung a little **"DO NOT DISTURB"** sign on the handle; now nothing was going to stop her.

Nothing apart from the abrupt end of this scene.

* * *

**1:08 PM**

**Central Hub - Kuma Kuma Land Amusement Park**

"Five minutes… I can't miss it," a young black-haired boy muttered.

He weaved in and out through the sea of people, desperately trying to reach the performance tent in the center of the park.

The boy sighed in relief upon reaching his destination, pushing his way through the assembled crowd to claim a spot up front.

Suddenly, the lights went out, and everyone went quiet. A spotlight appeared above the main stage as a ring of fire erupted in between a hastily set up zipline.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the moment you've all been waiting for!" An announcer boomed overhead as the cheers of the nearby kids erupted, and young Kitai could not help but join in.

"Let's give a warm welcome to everyone's favorite 'Rabbit Hero from among the Stars,' Kuma Kuma Land's one and only, Oki Tokki!"

"Woohoo!" Kitai yelled

A second spotlight abruptly shone up towards the roof, illuminating a boy in a dorky, outlandish superhero outfit colored black, sky blue, and pink, with an equally ridiculous rabbit helmet. He struck a pose, pointing down at the crowd, as the children all went nuts.

The rabbit-suited hero then grabbed hold of the zipline and rappeled down, rapidly approaching the ring of fire.

Everyone in the crowd gasped, and Kitai couldn't help but cry, "Watch out!"

The concern for the rabbit-headed fellow was misplaced, however, as he let go of the zipline at the last second, somersaulting through the ring of fire unharmed, and landed in the center of the stage, taking a bow.

The crowd went wild, and Kitai ran up to the foot of the stage, shouting at his idol. "Mr. Oki Tokki, you're so cool! How do you do it? I wanna be just like you!"

The rabbit costumed boy turned to him, and Kitai could swear he slid him a wink. "A hero always follows their dreams, no matter what! Don't let anything stand in your way!" The self-proclaimed hero said, putting his hands on his hips.

The young boy's eyes sparkled as he made a decision. He suddenly sprinted away, heading for a certain nearby area of the mall.

Tae Min smiled beneath his mask happily as he watched the small boy run, satisfied that he had encouraged another young kid to follow his dreams.

* * *

**1:16 PM**

**Central Hub - Aquarium **

"And over here, you'll find the rare, endangered Axolotl!" sang an enthusiastic female voice, gesturing to a tank dramatically.

As the group she was touring oohed and aahed at the colorful array of marine life, Charlotte couldn't hold back a tired sigh. While she enjoyed her job as a guide at the aquarium, it could get quite exhausting doing and saying the same things Every. Single. Day.

Mustering up a bright smile, she looked up at her group again with a renewed sense of vigor. "Now, if you are all done taking pictures, we can move on to one of our most popular species, the dolphin—"

"Oh my god, what is that little boy doing up there?!" shouted the panicked voice of one of the female adults in Charlotte's group.

"Uh, what…?" the aquarium guide muttered. She immediately turned pale and gasped as she looked up.

A small, giggling boy, who couldn't be more than ten years old, had snuck his way to the hatch at the top of the tank. He opened the hatch entrance into the dolphin exhibit, and removed his shirt, preparing to jump in.

"Little kid! You can't jump in there, are you crazy?!" Charlotte shouted up at him, panicking.

Kitai turned down to look at her, his bright smile never faltering. "Sorry, but I can't do that! I'm following my dreams, just like Mr. Oki Tokki said I should!"

Charlotte's only response was to blink at the child, dumbfounded.

"What the hell's an Oki Tokki?" muttered an equally confused tourist.

Without waiting for another response, the fish-loving boy jumped into the tank, the hysterical screams of the tour group accompanying him.

Not too far away, a black-haired boy who was silently reading, heard the screams and sighed.

"I came here for some peace and quiet, and yet this happens," Daisuke muttered, closing his book reluctantly. "Might as well check out what's going on…"

The Barnes and Noble employee stopped as he entered the room, bewildered, as he saw several hysterical tourists, a panicking employee, and most absurdly of all, a small boy in the dolphin tank, dancing and doing flips in the water.

"What the hell…?" he mumbled as he ran up to the female employee. "What happened here?"

She turned to Daisuke, almost ignoring him as she rambled. "Oh god, I'm gonna get fired again… already!"

"Hey, get yourself together! Breathe!" he commanded, gripping her tightly by the arms.

Charlotte nodded, taking deep breaths. "O-ok, I'm fine…"

"Good. See? It's gonna be fine. I mean, the kid's handling himself well, it's actually kinda cool…" Daisuke mused as he watched Kitai. As strange as it seemed, the boy was TALKING to the dolphins, and they began to join him in his odd yet delightful dance.

Charlotte silently had to agree, the young boy was able to hold his breath for a long time too. She turned to the group she was touring, waving her hands to get their attention "Everybody, please calm down! The boy will be fine!"

As the tourists began to calm down, they watched Kitai with renewed interest, ohhing and ahhing as his dances grew more intricate.

"He is quite skilled, and he seems to be communicating with the dolphins. How delightful!" A portly woman mused.

"Is this a show that was organized by the aquarium? If so, it's super cool that they decided to do live shows like this!" Another man cheered.

Spurred on my the small groups cheers and smiles, Kitai himself gave a wide smile, as he continued his performance happily, before eventually jumping out of the tank, giving a wide bow to his now captivated audience.

Daisuke and Charlotte looked at each other, before giggling. The tour guide, looked away after a moment, slightly embarrassed. "Um, thanks for helping me calm down. Hey, I don't think I caught your name, if you don't mind me asking. I'm Charlotte Loire, I just started working here last week."

The bookstore employee chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "I'm Daisuke Del Rio, and I just got hired not too long ago at Barnes and Noble, apparently I got hired after some employee had one too many fuck ups" He joked

Charlotte gasped "What...what the fuck do you mean you got my position? Are you serious?"

Daisuke quickly stopped laughing. "Wait, you actually mean...?"

The former Barnes and Noble employee glared at him. "Did you know that they fired me on my day off? And then they had the gall to hire someone else so soon? Those bastards!" She screeched, crumpling up her aquarium guidebook in her fist.

"H-hey, calm down, I had no idea!" The black haired boy replied, panicked. "Look, I know a good coffee place in the East Wing, how about we sit down later and talk about this, yeah?" He responded smoothly.

Charlotte snorted "What, you think your good looks and suave, spanish voice is gonna get you out of this? Well think again buddy!" She then put a contemplative finger up to her chin, a spry smile forming on her face. "Although, if you wanted to treat me to a nice dinner at that expensive steak restaurant, I won't object!"

"I, uh…" Daisuke stammered, hardly believing his luck. "I'd love to…"

The aquarium employee giggled "This is the part where you're supposed to ask for my number"

Daisuke nodded, as he pulled out his phone. After the two had successfully exchanged numbers silently, with bright red faces, Charlotte gave him one final nod as the two observed a laughing Kitai taking pictures with the eager tourists.

"Well, I'm gonna go hide this kid and myself in the breakroom until my boss comes in. I actually have a good idea for him" Charlotte mused, giving him a shy wink "Call me at 5, and we can find a time to meet up"

Daisuke returned her smile "Yeah, sounds great"

As she walked away with the unexpected performer in tow, Daisuke mentally thanked the young boy for luring him into this series of unexpected yet welcome turn of events.

* * *

**9:38 PM**

**Central Hub - Employee Locker Room**

After another long day, the Legacy Mall had officially closed for the night. Despite this, the mall was still bustling as ever. Employees closing up for the night hurriedly pushed their way through each other, wanting nothing more than to go home and finally get some shut-eye.

Some of them weren't so lucky, however, as Axel was still dressed in his bulky and unwieldy bear costume, and had to stumble his way past the crowd. Eventually he made it to the locker room, tucked away in the Central Hub, which was easily the most crowded area.

Safe at last, Axel tore off the bear suit's head, gasped for fresh air, and headed towards his locker. Once there, he stepped out of the suit itself, sitting and panting on the bench in nothing but an undershirt and boxer shorts.

"You mind keeping it down?" a low and slightly haggard voice called out. A snowy-haired boy peeked through the rows of lockers.

"Sorry, Hikyou..." Axel said between breaths, looking up at the janitor. "It's just that it's kinda hard to breath in this thing."

Hikyou Usotsuki, often jokingly called the unluckiest person in the mall, worked as the mall's only janitor. It hadn't been easy for him, as the mall's patrons barely (if ever) cleaned after themselves, leaving Hikyou to take care of the mess. To make matters worse, like Axel, he worked minimum wage, and only kept the job in hopes that something better would open up soon.

Hikyou sighed. Putting his mop to the side, he joined the boy on the bench. "Damn, and I thought my job sucked," he joked as Axel stood, unlocking his locker. "At least I don't have to wear this ridiculous thing all day." He raised one of the costume's stubby arms; it hung limply in his grip.

Axel swung his locker open and grabbed a shirt from within. "It's not that bad. I get to be with kids all day, so that's fun!" he said as he pulled his shirt over his head.

"The same kids who puke all over the food court?" Hikyou quipped, rolling his eyes.

"C'mon, your job can't be all that bad," Axel said, grabbing a pair of jeans and a scarf.

"I get paid minimum wage to clean up other people's messes, Axel," Hikyou deadpanned. "Please, tell me how that can be seen as a good thing."

Axel paused, thinking for a moment. "At least it can't get any worse, right? I mean, you're with friends all day, that's something."

"Sure, can't get worse than cleaning up someone's spunk," he replied sarcastically.

This caused Axel to take a double take. He quickly composed himself before he let anything slip and hoped he didn't seem suspicious. "Wait, you mean as in..."

"Yep." Hikyou cut him off. "All month I've been finding puddles of semen tucked away in the weirdest spots."

"Jeez, that sounds… weird." Axel said carefully, starting to sweat even more than he was when he was in the costume.

"You're telling me. GameStop, Underworld Demons, Kuma Kuma Land, the Cinema, Barnes and Nobles," Hikyou listed off, "Hell, I even found some in Mr. Koukai's office one time. Apparently, someone thinks it's funny to fuck in basically every damn place in this mall."

"Do you, uh… have any idea who's been doing it?"

"No clue. All I know is that it happens basically every day, so it's probably an employee." Hikyou said, turning to face Axel. "You know anything about this?"

"I… uh—"

Suddenly, the mall's intercom blared to life, interrupting the boy's train of thought. "Attention! Would Axel Ueda please stop using his breaktime to buy lube at Zone d'Erotica for later use with his boyfriend in various spots throughout the mall?" Dylan's voice echoed through the mostly empty halls. "We repeat, would Axel Ueda please stop using his breaktime to buy lube at Zone d'Erotica for later use with his boyfriend in various spots throughout the mall? Thank you, and have a nice night!"

As the intercom shut off, Hikyou could only glare daggers at Axel, who replied with a nervous laugh.

"Well, uh, it's getting kinda late," he stammered, quickly shutting his locker and gathering his things. "And I… gotta get home soon b-because… Umiko goes to bed in an hour, and I still haven't called her today, so… later!"

With that, Axel bolted out the room and through the mall, his cheeks flaring bright red. He didn't look back until he made it to his car.

Don't ask why he's allowed to drive. He really shouldn't.


	5. Chapter 4: This Story is now Rated M

**Heya all! So, first, I would like to thank Superguy for joining our team. He's a big help, especially this chapter. I meant to welcome him in the last AN, but forgot.**

**Also, yes, as this chapter title now implies, this story is now rated M. Why? Well, if you don't know already, you will in the coming chapters. **

**Don't let your memes be dreams! So enjoy our longest chapter to date!**

* * *

**Chapter 4: This Story Is Now Rated M**

**11:30 AM**

**Central Hub - Skylar Smoothies**

"One strawberry shortcake smoothie with extra whipped cream and a plain cup of coconut water. Take them and leave."

"Thank you so much, Otto!" chirped a girl with angel wing hair clips as she hugged the drinks to her chest with one arm. With her free hand, she dug through the pockets of her oversized cardigan, withdrew a few loose coins, and then dropped them into an empty tip jar.

"Tch, I don't need your thanks nor your pitiful charity." Otto rolled his eyes before handing the cheerful girl a wide straw. "You forgot your straw."

"Oh, you're such a dear~ Hey, I know you hate your job but try to smile a bit more, okay? You'll feel better in no time at all!" She unleashed a blinding smile that almost blended in with her alabaster skin.

The dark-haired boy gritted his teeth and proudly pulled on his pink apron which displayed the company logo. "Do you know who you're talking to? I am Otto Von Skylar. I am the heir of the Von Skylar Smoothie Company! With the mere snap of my fingers I could make you and your entire family disappear off the face of the earth. I have over 300 confirmed smoothie recipes I can prepare, and I am trained in secret smoothie-making techniques that have been passed down the Von Skylar lineage for centuries. I'm the top juicer in this mall! You are nothing to me but another customer. I will—"

"My my, how rude! That's enough copypasta out of you, Otto! And of course everyone knows who you and your family are; you never shut up about it." She playfully stuck her tongue out at the fuming boy before sauntering off.

When the girl finally disappeared down the food court, he let out a long sigh. "I'd never admit it... but she's right. This job fucking sucks."

Otto paced about for awhile, waiting to see if any more customers would come. When none did, he hurriedly pulled out his smartphone. The boy's grimace immediately transformed into a happy smirk upon seeing CanadianBaconLover69 was online.

* * *

**11:37 AM**

**Central Hub - Legacy Food Court**

"Hiya ladies! How are we all today?"

"Ah. Misuzu has made it back safe from the goblin's cave," said a monotonous girl with hair the color of a rainy day. Her long, unruly bangs fell over the white cashmere poncho she was wearing. She was seated at a small square table with another, far taller girl.

The other girl, with neon pink eyes radiating excitement, leapt up from the table and pounced on the approaching Misuzu. "Yay! Sasami-san is so glad to see her bestest friend with all her fleshy bits intact! Oh, but cute little Sabi is Sasami-san's bestest friend too~ Come come, group hug!"

Sabishi remained in her seat with a straight face. Misuzu giggled but at the same time, focused on ensuring the drinks in her arms weren't crushed and spilled everywhere by Sasami's signature scorpion hug. When the gangly girl finally relented, Misuzu hurriedly set down the cup of coconut water in front of Sabishi and flashed the peace sign. "There you go—completely flavourless, just the way you like it!"

"Thank you." The girl took the drink in her small hands and drank it all down in a single seamless gulp.

"Victory to the swift!" Sasami exclaimed as she suddenly leaned over Misuzu's shoulder and took a sip from her pink smoothie. "Mmm~ Yummy!"

"Mimi! That wasn't very nice of you; I wanted the first sip!" Misuzu cutely puffed her cheeks.

"Hee-hee~ To make it up to you, why doesn't Sasami-san let you try her special, homemade meat smoothie? Here, let Sasami-san shake it a little first." Her ponytail bounced up and down as she hopped in place for a few seconds. She then happily withdrew a metal canister from the cleavage of her black leather halter top. Wait a minute, how the hell did she fit that down there?

Misuzu's aura of good cheer faltered for just a split second. "Oh, I'd love to, Mimi, but today's a... meat-free day for me! Mhmm, that's right—just think of all those poor cows!"

"Aww~ But Sasami-san thinks that nothing would make those cute little cows happier than to fill up our tummies! And besides, Sasami-san made this drink with the most important ingredient of all: Her love!" Unscrewing its cap, she offered the odious beverage to her.

"Sabishi will have a sip. Remy often says it's good to try new things," Sabishi mused as she stood up. Misuzu let out a silent sigh of relief, but then began to worry for the dainty girl's dainty stomach.

"Oh, Sabi is going to just love it~ Even Little Ado liked it when he tried some this morning!" PSA: This is not factual in the slightest. In reality, she forced it down his throat with a funnel. Somebody stop this madwoman.

Sasami let loose a wolfish grin as she held out the drink. The crimson concoction smelled of pure death. With a brave nod, Sabishi tilted her head back and allowed the meat to fill her tiny mouth. Glug... glug... glug...

"Oh my…" Misuzu consciously covered her open mouth with a sleeve. She briefly wondered if she'd have to start looking for a new receptionist at her funeral home.

"Wow, Sabi sure can handle her meat! Remy is such a lucky boy~" Sasami giggled like a schoolgirl.

"Mimi!" Misuzu exclaimed scoldingly with a blush on her cheeks. "That's inappropriate; you know they're not like that, anyway!"

"Nuh-uh. They may say that, but Sasami-san is as sharp as her knives!" She turned to Sabishi, who still seemed to be trying to chug down the entire meat smoothie and gave her a knowing wink. "Sharing an apartment with an older boy—just the two of you alone—Sabi Is so adult~"

Sabishi swallowed the final lump and then drew in a deep breath. "That was disgusting, but very nutritious. Sabishi thanks you for the assumedly free meal." She paused a moment to run her fingers along the silver cross pendant around her neck. "Remy and Sabishi are simply roommates. It is more cost-effective to split the rent."

"Fine fine, Sasami-san wishes you'd be just a little more honest with yourself, but that's okay! Sasami-san thinks modest girls are cute too~" Flicking back her ponytail, she settled her predatory gaze on Misuzu. "Sooo, how are things between you and Keru?!"

Misuzu's playfully flailed her oversized sleeves at the taller girl. "Geez, it's always the same with you, Mimi! Things are going great for us, but how about you, huh?"

"Oh, Sasami-san is still searching far and wide for her fated person. But no worries~ As you know, Sasami-san is super patient and a very traditional girl, so waiting until marriage is a piece of cake for her!" she replied in a sing-songy voice. "And if Sasami-san really, really needs some relief, she always has her cute little bro—"

"My my, would you look at the time? Sabishi and I have to get back to the funeral home before twelve; we really need to rush now!" Misuzu had what you'd call a diplomatic smile on her face.

"But we're clo—" Sabishi began but was cut-off by the other girl pulling on her arm and attempting to march off with her.

"Aww, and Sasami-san had such spectacular news to share, too! She's expecting plenty of little nephews and nieces soon!"

Stopping in place, Misuzu's face lit up with pure joy and she started clapping. After a bit of lag time, Sabishi mimicked the girl and joined in the applause.

"Really?! Oh, that's just wonderful, Mimi! Congra— Wait. You're not talking about your brother, are you…?"

Sasami smiled and slowly licked her lips. Delicious.

* * *

**11:50 AM**

**Kuma Kuma Land - House of Horrors**

Kuma Kuma Land indoor amusement park was home to many popular attractions and rides; however, one of the most popular and talked about was the House of Horrors haunted house. It was said to be the scariest haunted house in the country, if not the entire world. It was ran, operated, and maintained by two mysterious men that few people knew the identities of.

Five teens stood in front of the mysterious mansion with an additional person grinning at them deviously. He pointed a finger at the four, giggling uncontrollably.

"Alright you guys, you know the bet! Any of you all who run out of the house crying like little babies, has to wear one of my dresses of choice!" Shiro cheered. "And I'm betting that all of you will!"

"Kekekekeke! This sounds like fun! I just hope it can scare me, not much does anymore." Jizoku said, rubbing the skull decoration in his hair.

Samuel rolled his eyes. "Well it seems Jizoku went all the way for the bet." he said, motioning to the teen dressed in zombie makeup. "I don't know why I agreed to this, but most of these haunted houses are a load of bullshit. I doubt we have much to be worried about."

"Fucking agreed. Scariest haunted house in the country my ass, anyone with half a brain knows this shit's just all flashy lights and lame ass outfits. Nobody gets scared by any of this anymore," Lars sneered, turning toward an orange haired boy with an equally bright colored bandana. "Well, except for maybe fire hair pussy over here."

The boy in question was shaking like a leaf, doing his best to suppress it. He eventually stood up straight and tried to put on a brave face for his companions. "I'm gonna be just fine. I'm not a child you know, I just don't like anything to do with horror!" Reukra Orion retorted, red-faced. "And I definitely won't be wearing some dumb maid outfit!"

"Well, I personally wouldn't care too much if the outfit was cute," mused the lone female of the group, Miyaki Hanao. "I mean, they are pretty, right Shiro?"

The bubbly trap nodded enthusiastically. "Yup yup! Everyone will look super duper fabulous!"

"Hm, I suppose I see this as an absolute win either way…" Miyaki smiled.

Samuel smirked at Shiro. "But remember the deal. If we all come out unfrightened, you have to wear a suit and tie with no wigs or makeup for a week."

Shiro's smirk diminished, as he was clearly upset at the thought; however, he quickly bounced back. "W-well, I never lose a bet, I just have to get at least one of ya to run out with their tail between their legs. I mean, you all have seen Riku lately, right?" He giggled.

"Fucking hell, can we just get started please? I'm getting bored already," Lars moaned.

"Why yes, you sexy emo! We should begin this little adventure, shall we?" Jizoku said as he began to make his way into the house.

"Let's just get this over with," Samuel added, following him.

"I swear, this is just a goddamn waste of my time," Lars grumbled, trailing behind the two.

Miyaki began to follow them, before turning and noticing that Reukra was still rooted in place, his face clearly hesitant.

"Hey, what's wrong? Scared of the dark?" she teased. The boy shook his head with a frown.

"Um, not really. It's more like I'm just wary of anything Shiro wants us to do. Maybe it's just me," Reukra pondered, before shaking his head and joining Miyaki. "Might as well just get through as quick as possible. I have plans later."

Miyaki grinned. "Oh, but with who, mama's boy?" She giggled. "Or maybe you're meeting with…?" Upon seeing Reukra's face soften, her grin widened. "Oh my! You better hope you don't lose this bet then! I bet she'd love to see you in a maid outfit!"

"N-no! Please don't drag… hey, did you just call me a mama's boy?" Reukra whined unhappily, before the two heard an impatient sigh.

"Will you two hurry up? There's nothing to worry about, it's just a tourist attraction," Samuel called out to them.

The two made their way to the mansion's door. Samuel's expression softened as Reukra approached him. "Please calm down, it'll be alright Reukra."

The orange-haired boy took a deep breath. "I know. I just can't afford to lose this bet, is all..."

The five teens slowly entered the mansion, some more eager than others. As they entered. they all found a grisly sight: the hallway was littered numerous dead bodies. Strewn about the staircase as well, some were in worse condition than others. They were covered in wax, their last moments perfectly preserved for the world to see. The nauseating stench of rotting flesh filled the air.

The five stopped upon entering the grisly main hall and eyed the room cautiously. The foul scent slowly started filling the room, the air growing more and more pungent by the minute.

"Well, ain't this fuckin cute," Lars muttered, poking one of the statues curiously.

Samuel looked at some vents in the room. "I assume the smell is being pumped in from the ventilation system. I have to admit it is a very good effect."

"No way it's real… right?" Miyaki asked quietly.

"Kekekeke! Well if they are real, we may be dealing with a killer who has good taste!" Jizoku cackled as he perused the room joyfully.

"Don't even joke about that!" Reukra whined, his eyes darting around the room. "Even if it is fake, it's still creepy and in poor taste!"

The five slowly continued through the mansion, encountering many unsettling and disturbing sights, much to Jizoku's delight.

However, in the control room above…

* * *

Two men watched the five make their way through the mansion, with amused smiles on their faces.

Jibo chuckled darkly as the girl startled at the sight of a human-dragon animatronic jumping out at her. "Yes… everything is going to plan. Soon they will know true fear—and hopefully buy something from the gift shop."

Syd nodded his head, smiling. "Indeed. Our quest to create the perfect house of horrors that can scare anyone, grows better and better by the day with each and every person that walks through our doors. I'm already gathering the data from these five as we speak. Though, we must keep up our end of the bargain to dear Shiro, correct?"

"Agreed. Shiro is such a good friend to Kokichi and Mikan, I think it's only fitting we give him the chance to fit these kids in some cute attire," Jibo replied, rubbing his chin.

Syd smirk grew wider. "Speaking of which, I remember you saying that you were planning on treating your children to lunch? In which case, I imagine we should cease this children's game, and begin to get serious, no? They have made it farther than most. Would you like to personally address our resilient guests, Sir?"

Jibo nodded. "Indeed." He gripped the microphone and switched it on…

* * *

Suddenly, the five heard a mysterious voice echo throughout the mansion.

"You have made it far, brave travelers, but there is one more sight to behold. Please proceed to the basement where you will find the exit to this nightmare and the beginning of your final damnation." It went silent as a door on the ground in front of them suddenly opened.

"W-what was that? Who was that?" Reukra stammered, his head whipping around nervously.

"Jesus, shut the fuck up. It's just that rumored old fart who owns this place. Hell, I heard the loser drives a damn minivan," Lars sneered.

"Minivan?" Samuel questioned. "Whatever. It's clear where he wants us to go, so I don't see any reason to hesitate," he finished, making his way down into the basement.

"Ooooh, we get to go under the ground? Will the mole people be waiting for us?" Jizoku added, following him.

"Indeed. Perhaps this is the final area. We can do this, guys!" Miyaki cheered, turning to Reukra. "C'mon, mama's boy, we're close to the finish line!"

"Stop calling me that!"

The five of them slowly descended into the bowels of the mansion. What they found astounded them. It was a laboratory straight out of a horror movie: bubbling beakers, electrical coils, and other mad machinery that sparked and blinked in the dim room surrounded them. In the center of the room laid a figure on a table, covered by a white sheet.

The five observed the room, slightly disappointed.

"Well, this is a fucking letdown," Lars grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Miyaki frowned, quietly walking up to a frankenstein monster replica, observing it. "Not sure why, but this interests me. I wonder, what would it be like? To be a cursed monster, sewn together with countless foreign limbs and parts. It gives me shivers just thinking about it."

"Well, how about we find out, bitch!" A deep, demonic voice shouted as the masked figure jumped up from under the cover, revving a chainsaw in its hands.

"Fuck this!" Lars cried, running for the exit.

"Ahhh! What the hell? I don't wanna die!" Reukra wailed, followed closely behind by an equally frightened Samuel and Miyaki.

The four of them ran out the exit in a wild panic, only stopping when they saw Shiro waiting for them at the gift shop. He wore a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Wait, no… NO!" Lars growled, his adrenaline dying down as he realized what this meant.

"Oh, well that was fun!" Miyaki smiled unconcernedly, clapping her hands together with a giggle. "Looks like we lost!"

"Oh no…" Reukra moaned, burying his head in his hands. "Now Shiro gets to dress me…"

"Goddamnit... Where the hell is Jizoku?" Samuel asked, looking around him.

Soon, the group saw Jizoku and the masked chainsaw maniac walk out together. Before they could react, the maniac took off her mask, revealing Shiro's girlfriend, Mackenzie, who was giggling softly.

"Well, it seems the voice changer mask and prop chainsaw certainly did the trick," Jizoku said, smirking at the others.

"Yes, that was fun. Anything to make my darling Shiro happy," Mackenzie said, smiling at the trap. "I wish I could have painted the look on your faces. They were priceless."

The four losers stared at the other two quietly, as they put two and two together.

"You son of a bitch! You were in on it!" Lars screamed, approaching Jizoku quickly. "I'm gonna kill you, bastard!"

"A chase! How exciting!" Jizoku said, gleefully running away from Lars, and most likely leading him on a wild goose chase.

"Don't worry, babe. I made sure their faces would be captured forever," Shiro said, winking at his girlfriend and producing some pictures from his dress pocket. "I got a set of gift photos of all your reactions, as well as a digital copy. This will look great on my instagram!"

"Oh, these are adorable! I think I think I'll buy a copy too!" Miyaki agreed, pulling out her wallet.

Reukra suddenly grabbed Shiro by the shoulders, a desperate look in his eyes. "Please, I'm begging you, have mercy! I have a date tonight!" he whined.

"Nope, sorry! Shame on you for trying to get out of your bet. For that, I'll make sure your maid outfit is wayyy more cuter than everyone else's. I'm thinking of orange bows to match that hair of yours!" the trap giggled deviously, reveling in Reukra's despair.

"Lord help us…" Samuel sighed, defeated.

* * *

**12:42 PM**

**West Wing - Zone d'Erotica**

Shiro giggled as he pulled out and examined another maid outfit, eyeing it intently. Deciding it was good enough, the trap skipped over to the changing room, where four of them were currently occupied.

"This is fucking stupid! No way in hell am I wearing this!" Lars screeched over the changing door.

Shiro hummed happily "Too bad! A bet's a bet! You'll look totes adorbs, don't worry! It's only for a week!" He slung two outfits over two of the doors. "Ohhh Samuel, Reukra! I have some more outfits for you to try!" He giggled.

The two boys in question moaned tiredly.

"Ah, Shiro. How is my lovely man doing this fine afternoon?" Alexander said as he gracefully entered the room.

Shiro gave a light giggle in response, running up and gripping Alexander's hands teasingly. "Doing just great, thank you! I only want the very best outfits for my friends." The trap eyed Alexander, who was wearing a maid outfit of his own. "See, I wish they could rock these as well as you can!"

Alexander chuckled to himself, stroking a gloved hand across Shiro's cheek. "I'm sure they will look beautiful. After all, a creation can only be as lovely as its creator."

Shiro's giggles grew louder. "Awww, you're such a flirt! Thanks for letting us use the store. Hope Tiana didn't mind too much."

Alexander placed a light kiss on Shiro's forehead. "Don't think anything of it. If anything, I should be thanking your wonderful girlfriend for not keeping you all to herself."

Shiro blushed, caught off guard for once. However, before the trap could muster a reply, Tiana walked in, pausing upon seeing Alexander and Shiro's close proximity. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I just heard my name called."

Alex smiled at the Dominatrix. "No, my sweet, you are not. I was simply helping good Shiro here get these four into some new attire," he said, motioning to the maid outfits they were both wearing.

Tiana clapped her hands together with a smile. "Ah, I see! You both look very charming. Would you like me to take a picture?"

"Ohhhh, yes please!" Shiro said enthusiastically. "I want this to go on my Instagram! My followers will love this!"

Alexander wrapped his arm around the trap's waist, pulling him closer. "A picture would be lovely. However, do not leave out our guests. I think a free photograph would be a delightful gift; let the whole world bask in their makeovers."

"Yeah, you can fuck right off!" Samuel called from inside his changing booth.

As Tiana took a photo of the two, one of the changing room doors opened, and Miyaki sauntered out, wearing a baby blue and white maid outfit. She had an embarrassed smile on her face. "Um, how do I look?"

"You look absolutely scrumptious, my dear." Alexander replied.

"Kyaaa! You look a-maz-ing!" Shiro squealed. "Now, where are the other three? Oh, boys~ If you don't make your final decisions soon, I'll come in and make them for you!"

A audible groan could be heard as the curtain to Samuel's changing room burst opened. The South African man was now wearing a green maid's outfit with frilly white tassels. On his feet he wore camo-patterned high heels and stockings that covered his hairy legs.

"Thank you, I feel like a fucking domkop. I hope you're happy," he said, unamused.

Shiro gave him a shit-eating grin. "I'm very happy indeed, thank you very much! I'm sure Kiyomi would just LOVE to see you wearing that. Good luck!"

Samuel rubbed his face into his hands, feeling totally embarrassed. "Why the fuck did I agree to this stupid bet..."

Tiana giggled. "Aw, don't be such a spoilsport! It was all in good fun!"

Without warning, the next changing room door opened as Reukra came out quietly, his face as red as a tomato. The fiery-haired boy was now wearing a longer maid outfit that almost made him look like a princess. It was colored orange to match his hair, with yellow highlights and bows adorning it. He too, wore orange long stockings. Finally, he finished his look with a pair of yellow high heels.

Samuel and Tiana both let out a snort, while Shiro clapped her hands together with a squeal, and Alexander gave him a look that was almost akin to pity.

Miyaki gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. "I, for one, think you look very pretty, Reukra."

"He sure does! Hey, Reureu! If you ever decide to become a trap, you could totes pull it off! You look even more girly than me!" Shiro smiled, snapping a picture with her phone. "Better hope your new girlfriend likes it!"

The small boy whined pathetically, burying his head into his hands. "I'll never get another date…"

As a few more snickers escaped the group, Alexander turned to the last remaining changing door. "And then there was one…"

Shiro pouted, walking over to the door and knocking on it. "Hey, Lars! You're the last one! Open this door before I chop it down for you!"

"Fuck this, I'm not leaving my house for the rest of the week… why were all my options super girly and shit?!" Lars cried out as he slowly opened his door.

The group held their breath, and even Shiro was silent, as everyone anticipated what the foul-mouthed boy would look like.

Lars very slowly stepped out, wearing a frilly, puffy, pink and white dress, that had many elegant, flowing bows and designs on it. He sported long pink and white leggings, and hot pink high heels. However, unlike his fellow losers, he also had a small pink bow in his hair with a small floral pin on it.

Everyone was dead silent as they drank in the scene before them, before they all burst out with laughter.

"Oh… oh my god!" Miyaki cried, doubling over with Tiana as the two fell to the floor in a fit of laughter.

Reukra wiped a tear from his eye as he pointed at Lars with a giggle. "You look like Princess Peach!"

Samuel steadied himself against a wall as tried to calm himself down. "Aww man, I feel so sorry for you... But Jesus that is funny!"

"Shiro, you have outdone yourself this time." Alexander said, chuckling to himself.

"AHHHH! This is even more amazing than I was hoping for!" Shiro squealed loudly "Even a crude monkey like you can be transformed into an elegant lady! There's nothing I can't do!" The trap cackled almost maniacally.

"Not. A. Word. To. Anyone." Lars growled, trying and failing to be intimidating.

"Aw, don't be such a sourpuss! Now let's all get a picture together, everyone! Tiana, if you would be so kind," Shiro asked dramatically, handing Tiana her phone.

"It would be my pleasure," Tiana replied, still trying to hold back her giggles, before steadying the device.

"Alright, everyone!" Shiro exclaimed, forcefully pulling everyone close together. "Say… maid!"

"Maid" they all shouted, some more enthusiastically than others.

Shiro quickly grabbed his phone back, turning to the others with a victorious smirk. "Well done you guys! The hard part is over, now you just gotta wear them for a week! Easy, right?"

"Oh, I'm looking forward to this!" Miyaki smiled.

"Speak for yourself..." the three dejected boys moaned.

Alexander gave one more soft chuckle. "Those poor, unfortunate souls."


	6. Chapter 5: Rapping for Jesus

**Another day, another chapter! A big thanks to Trust and Super for making this chapter possible!**

**And another shout out to Crit, who just wrapped up House of Horrors not too long ago, and started Versailles Academy. The crazy train marches forward!**

**(Source Material: Rapping for Jesus)**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Rapping for Jesus**

**Saturday - 10:36 AM**

**Rooftop - Legacy Park**

It was a beautiful Saturday morning. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the surface of the artificial lake glittered like jewels. A tall woman with a swimmer's build leaned into her lawn chair with a satisfied sigh. She watched the bobber on her fishing line float around with unhurried anticipation. All was right in the world for Brooke Douglas... until her peace and quiet was shattered by the cackling of some weirdo behind the bushes.

Brooke stood up, her pale lips curled down in mild irritation. With a roll of her neck, she stomped toward the source of laughter.

"Ahahahaha!" Beneath the shade of the leaves overhead, a short boy was laughing like he had nothing to lose. He was sprawled on a park bench with a wide-brimmed hat resting over his face.

"Remy has gone mad again," the girl laying next to him mused in an emotionless voice, although the faint smile on her face betrayed her emotions. "Sabishi wonders what is so amusing?"

"Oh, it's just... I think I left the oven on. I was wondering if our apartment had burned down yet," Remy quipped lightheartedly, as if it were no big deal. He slid the hat down from his face; his icy blue eyes smiled as much as his mouth.

"Remy tells very funny but also inappropriate jokes. Ha. Ha. Ha."

"Wanna hear another one, Sabi? Aight, check this out! So—"

"So it was you two scaring all the fish away. Hmph, I should've recognized that dumb laugh of yours," Brooke interrupted as she stepped into the clearing. She crossed her muscular arms and rolled her eyes at the pair. "Sabishi, when are you going to dump this train wreck of a man? Sheesh."

The green-eyed girl rose up and tilted her head. "Sabishi does not fully understand why people keep saying we're a couple. Remy and Sabishi are just friends—"

"With benefits!" the dumbass named Remy added with a snap and a wink.

"Sabishi wants to strangle you," she shot back with a flat look on her face. Considering her monotonous manner of speech, it was hard to tell whether the girl was joking or not.

"There's no need to get your hands dirty, Sabishi. Allow me." Brooke cracked her mighty knuckles. "She deserves way better than you, Rembrandt... Aren't you still unemployed? Also, didn't you fail all your courses last semester or something?"

Remy chuckled softly. He stood up, dusted off his black leather jacket, and adjusted the chains of golden 'bling' around his neck. With a smug smirk, he proudly proclaimed, "All of them apart from Chemistry!"

"Wow," the two girls deadpanned in unison.

"And hey, I do have a job! I'm telling you, Christian Rap is going to be the next big thing. Patience doth be rewarded with providence!" The amateur rapper gestured about dramatically. "My lyrical flow is fire!"

Sabishi was burying her face into her poncho, and Brooke was wondering what she was still doing here.

"Okay, okay, I get it. You guys are just concerned for me. I know it's hard to be a starving artist; believe me, I am a realist... If worst comes to worst, I'll just start up my own meth lab or something."

"Sabishi will alert the proper authorities now." The girl began reaching into her cute little pockets.

"It's just a joke!" Remy fell over and rolled around on the grass as he began laughing again. A few seconds later, Sabishi's flat giggles were added to the mix.

Brooke let out a heavy sigh, and with a shrug of her shoulders, decided she had had enough of this mess. Without another word, she began making her back to her beloved fishing spot.

"Wait, wait, Brooke! Please, don't go just yet! I've got some sick new bars I want you to be the test audience to!" Remy pleaded dramatically.

"Uh, I'd really rather not—"

"Sabi, drop the beat!"

With a completely straight face, Sabishi began beatboxing. Against all odds, she was surprisingly good.

"Yo, listen up. Here we go!" He flung his hat off into the distance. It was never seen again.

"Shout-outs to the other Emcees, I wish 'em well, but if you live in sin, you burn in Hell."

"Yup." Sabishi briefly nodded before continuing to beat the box. Brooke cringed.

"Now if you wanna reach those kids on the streets, ya gotta do a rap, do a hip-hop beat. So I gave my sermons an urban kick, my rhymes are fly, my beats are sick. My groove is big, and it keeps getting bigga, that's because Jesus Christ is my n—"

And then Brooke suplexed him straight into the ground, burying his head far beneath the soil. The rest of his body stood up like a tombstone.

"Ah. Remy will finally get to meet God now. I am happy for him." Sabishi applauded lightly.

Brooke rubbed her brow as she shook her head. "Yeah, about that… Forget him. Hey, have you ever gone fishing?"

"Sabishi remembers what Remy said once… Fishing is when people say something bad about themselves so that others will console them. Supposedly, this mall's custodian does something similar."

The taller woman scoffed. "You can forget about both of those losers. Come on, I'll show you how to stick a hook into a worm."

"Remy says that worms are a good source of protein during lean times..." Sabishi mused as she glanced back at the still-buried (and maybe dead) man.

"Gross." Brooke made a face as she led the girl away from the potential crime scene. Well, it's okay since Remy was the first to commit the crime of blasphemy. He had it coming.

* * *

**2:02 PM**

**South Wing - Sam's Safari**

Sam's Safari was a hunting supplies shop located on the ground floor of the mall. It sold guns, knives, outfits, camping gear, and anything else that an aspiring hunter could need in the wild.

Kiyomi Kirigiri sat at a table in the shop's backroom, writing in her journal. She knew that Samuel would be later than usual to open the shop today, but he had been gone a while and she was starting to get a bit concerned.

That soon ended, however, when the sound of the front door being unlocked echoed throughout the empty shop. The Paranormal Investigator put down her journal and headed for the door to the shop front.

What she saw stunned her. Samuel Botha, the rough hunter from Africa, stood there dressed in a bright green maid outfit.

"Hey there, sorry I'm late," Samuel said, trying not to seem phased by the dress he was wearing.

Kiyomi stared at him for a moment, before bursting into laughter.

Samuel rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yes, I know I look fucking stupid. Get over it."

Kiyomi tried to compose herself and she placed her hand on a table for support. "Why on earth are you wearing that?!"

The Hunter walked to the shop's counter and began to check the cash register. "I lost a bet with Shiro. A bunch of us did and now we have to wear these stupid things for a week."

The Investigator calmed herself and shook her head. "And I thought you said gambling was a mug's game?"

"Yeah, well, I made a dumb decision," he responded. "So, any updates on that case of yours?"

The Paranormal Investigator cleared her throat as she reached into her pocket and flipped through her notebook. "To be honest, I'm a bit stumped. I know that the urban legend says this ghost is supposed to haunt the basement levels of the mall, but I haven't been able to find any solid leads yet on when it appears or who the spirit belongs to. I hope this case isn't just a dead end; I really want this follow-up book to blow the sales of my last one out the water."

Samuel finished sorting out the front desk and turned the sign to the shop to "OPEN".

"Didn't you say that someone had recently seen the ghost? Isn't that a lead?"

Kiyomi cringed. "I said a solid lead. The man you're referring to was, to quote him, 'high as a motherfucker' when he saw it. Hardly a good start."

Samuel chuckled as he took his place behind the counter once more. "Well, I'd say at least have a quick word with him. You never know what can happen."

There was a brief moment of peace in the shop, when the door chime was set off by a dark skinned-girl in a scarf. This was Colleen Brennan, scarf maker and owner of 'Dullahan Neckwear'.

As she entered the shop, she noticed Samuel and the ridiculous outfit he was wearing. She flashed him a toothy grin, drinking in the clear embarrassment.

"What's all this then? You decide to finally come out of the closet? I have to admit, I could tell already," Colleen snarked.

Kiyomi suppressed a giggle as Samuel simply raised an eyebrow at the redhead.

"Oh ha ha, very funny. Look, I lost a bet, and now I've got to wear this stupid fucking thing for a week, so just get the jokes out your system or it's gonna get old," he said.

Colleen laughed as she walked over to the counter. "Oh, where's the fun in that, Sam? Maybe I'll milk that stupid outfit for all its worth."

"Well, it's no more stupid than wearing a scarf indoors, so maybe I'll return the favor?" the Hunter replied with a wink.

Colleen's eye twitched slightly at the comment. "Alright asshole, you win this round…"

She turned her attention to Kiyomi. "Well, hey there, little Miss Spooky. How's ya little ghost hunt going?"

The Investigator sighed. "Not well. I'm going to have to talk to Naruhiko as he's the only witness I can track down, and I can't say I'm looking forward to that."

The Scarfmaker smiled and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I feel for you, girl. That idiot can play a mean tune, but being baked half the time doesn't make for good conversation."

Colleen pulled Kiyomi closer, a sly grin on her face. "You work so hard, you know that? How about we both wind down tonight by figuring out how to take off Sam's new getup while we've got the chance?"

Kiyomi's cheeks blushed a bright red. "Oh… well I… Umm…"

Colleen chuckled. "Oh stop it, I'm only teasing. You are so cute when you do that."

The Scarfmaker leaned in and pecked Kiyomi on the lips. As the Investigator fiddled with her hands, Colleen walked back up to Samuel.

"Well, I've gotta get going, scarves don't sell themselves," she said before also placing a kiss on the Hunter's lips. "God, I'm so lucky to have you both," she finished as she made her way out of the shop.

Samuel smiled as he looked over to the blushing Investigator. "Well, at least I'm not the most embarrassed one here anymore," he joked.

* * *

**5:16 PM**

**Central Hub - TGI Fridays**

Haruna sighed, resting her head on her hand as she tapped her foot impatiently.

"Where is he? I made sure to get off work early so we could get the happy hour discount on appetizers," the pinkette grumbled, picking up a chip and dipping it into a plate of cheese dip. She lazily munched on it.

Suddenly, her phone went off, signaling the arrival of a text message. Curious, the hostess pulled her phone out, reading it in confusion.

**Shiro: "Heyyyyy Haru! Just wanted 2 say u can thank me in advance, enjoy ur date 2nite!"**

Haruna cringed internally upon seeing the atrocious text that Shiro had sent her, frowning as she slid her phone back into her pocket. She contemplated what the trap could have possibly meant.

Soon, her host came by to refill her water, and Haruna could feel the man eyeing her up. Pervert.

"Would the lovely lady like some company until her date shows up? Or perhaps you are trying to save face after being stood up?" the sleazy host flirted. "I hate to see such a pretty princess such as yourself wallow here alone."

"Not interested," the pinkette deadpanned. "And my date is coming, so buzz off. Be a good waiter and get me some more chips," she snapped.

The male server gave her a look as he reluctantly walked off. Haruna sighed, idly stirring her straw in her drink.

The pinkette was soon snapped out of her stupor, as loud gasps, giggles, and whispers erupted among the patrons.

Haruna looked around in confusion, attempting to see what was the cause of all the commotion. When the object of everyone's attention reached her table, the girl's jaw dropped to the floor.

A red-faced Reukra quickly sat down, his orange and yellow maid outfit making loud noises as it brushed across the chair.

"Hey Haru, sorry I'm late," Reukra said quietly, attempting to sound as normal and nonchalant as possible as he awkwardly smoothed out his dress.

Haruna looked at her boyfriend, a pang of pity welling up within her. She turned to glare at the curious patrons, shooting them an intense look that caused them to back off and leave the two alone.

With a gentle smile on her face, the pinkette pushed the cheese dip towards Reukra. "So, this is what Shiro meant when she texted me. Lose a bet?"

The orange-haired boy gave her an embarrassed nod. "Y-Yeah. Samuel, Lars, and Miyaki too. We have to wear them for a week, although Miyaki seems to be enjoying it…" he muttered, before his eyes widened in alarm as Haruna snapped a quick picture of him with her phone.

Haruna giggled. "Relax Reu, I'm not gonna send this to any of our friends. I promise."

As the crossdressing boy sighed in relief, the pinkette gave a devious smile as she shot off a quick copy of the picture to a certain someone, hiding her phone after the message sent.

By this point, the orange-haired boy had visibly relaxed, a happy smile on his face. "So, I was thinking we could split the quesadillas together, since it's a large portion and we got appetizers. That sound okay?"

Haruna nodded, folding her menu with a smile. "Sounds good to me.

"Great! Then afterwards maybe we can—"

Reukra was quickly cut off as their waiter returned. The man snorted as he filled up the boy's water glass. He turned to Haruna, amused. "Ah, now I understand why you turned down my advances. You swing THAT way, I see. Well, I'd love to see some hot girl on girl action sometime, if you catch my drift." He winked at Haruna suggestively.

"Excuse me, but I'm a boy…" Reukra whined defensively.

"Of course you are," the rude server quickly replied, his attention fixed on the pinkette. His eyes widened as the girl in question stood up with a furious expression on her face and slapped him hard across the cheek.

"Just shut up, be a good boy, and go get our damn quesadillas!" she growled, sitting back down with a huff.

Their waiter scurried off quickly, and the orange-haired boy could have swore he heard him whimper.

Reukra gave a grateful smile to his girlfriend, slouching down in his chair with relief. "Thanks for being understanding about this, Haru. It makes this whole ordeal that much easier."

Before the pinkette could give a reply, her phone began buzzing. She pulled it out, a wicked grin on her face as she read the message. "Oh, don't thank me just yet Reu; I can have a little fun with this while it lasts."

The boy in question visibly paled. "Who… who did you send that to?"

"Oh, nobody important. Just your mom," she said nonchalantly.

The two stared at each other silently for several long seconds, before a look of horror appeared on the boy's face as Haruna broke out into a fit of laughter.

"You didn't!"

"Oh, but I did."

Reukra moaned, burying his head in his hands. "...What did she say?"

The pinkette snickered, clearing her throat as she began reading the message out loud. "Your mother said, and I quote, **'Aw, how adorable! I actually prepared for the possibility of this happening one day, truthfully my little baby has always been pretty feminine. Tell my little Rising Sun that I will always love and support him, no matter what! He's so lucky to have you too, Haruna dear!'**"

Reukra whimpered like a puppy as Haruna finished reading the message with a laugh.

"Your mother is pretty understanding, 'Rising Sun,'" Haruna told him, smiling widely.

"She always does this! Jumping to conclusions and just assuming things!" The orange-haired crossdresser squealed loudly, pulling out his phone and rapidly dialing a number. "Hey, Mom? It's me… no, no! Don't congratulate me! This isn't what it looks like… no, mom! Please, listen! I lost a bet!" Reukra wailed helplessly.

Haruna listened to him, amused, and took a long, satisfied sip from her drink. "You really are a mama's boy..."

* * *

**5:45 PM**

**East Wing - Old World Treasures**

Old World Treasures was an antique shop located in the mall. As one of the only few stores that had been around when the mall first opened decades ago, it was also one of its very oldest.

The latest owner, Hashim Ghazan, had made attempts to keep the shop up to high standards. The front looked like something out of ancient Egypt, with a mummy's mask hung over the store's name. Many different items were outside the shop for advertisement; however, the most valuable artifacts were all located inside.

Hashim scurried around the shop, cleaning and dusting wherever he could. The shop needed to be clean and organized for its elite clientele.

Tomoko stared up at the giant, almost rotting wooden sign that hung across the top of the shop, almost as if it was a preview of what was to come. The Shogi Player sighed, hoping she would not end up regretting this, as she opened the door and walked inside.

Hearing the entrance of a new customer, Hashim quickly put away his feather duster and scurried back to the counter.

"W-Welcome. How can I help you ma'am?" he asked meekly.

Tomoko stared at the various shelves and items intently, hardly shooting a single glance toward the shy store owner. "I'm looking for a rare, preferably ancient shogi board, with a complete set of pieces. Do you have anything of the sort?" she asked flatly, straight to the point.

The Archaeologist looked through his ledger, before walking up to the backroom door. "Tonbe! Didn't we receive a shipment of new items last night?"

Tonbe Woch, an employee of the store, quickly rushed out carrying two massive wooden boxes on his back. He hardly broke a sweat. "Sure did. This box is some stuff from Egypt, and the other from some private collector in Japan. Looking for something specific?"

Hashim walked up to the book with Japanese lettering on it and opened it up. "Now if I remember correctly, we received a Shogi board from the Edo Period in this shipment."

For a few moments, he rifled through before pulling out a box covered in bubble wrap. He placed it on the counter. "Is this what you are looking for?"

Tomoko blinked, genuinely surprised, as she examined the item carefully, noting the intricate patterns and rare wood that was used to create the set. "It's… actually very beautiful…" the shogi player said with a look of awe on her face. "How much do you want for it?"

"Yes, Rathai, this is the right address. I thought you out of all of us would have the better memory." A feminine voice could be heard as the door to the shop opened once more. As the group looked at the new guest, they saw a very odd sight. What looked to be someone wearing a silver, full-bodied dragon suit was standing in the doorway. Some sort of reptilian mask covered their entire head.

"I have reason to believe that this shop is currently holding the game that the ancient dragon Alamot once used to plan his vast conquests. I wish to purchase it; such a device would grant me great power!" the figure announced dramatically.

The three very confused teens stared at her in bewilderment.

"And who the fuck are you?" Tomoko sneered.

"Oh, hey Saino…" Hashim replied quietly.

The dragon-suited figure soon took off their mask, revealing a very attractive woman underneath, with silver hair that matched her costume. She nodded toward the shop's owner.

"Greetings, Hashim." She turned to Tomoko. "Who am I? How dare you address me in such a manner! I am Saino Terazawa, the mistress of all dragons!"

The Shogi player stared at Saino incredulously, before eventually electing to ignore her. She turned back to Hashim. "Anyway, as I was saying, I'm willing to pay top dollar for this. Just name your price."

"One moment!" the silver-haired woman announced as she strode forward to the counter. "I called this shop yesterday, and your co-worker, Tonbe, said that I could have this game if I made my way to this establishment." She looked over her shoulder. "That's right, Rathai, we call that a binding contract in the Never Realm."

Hashim quirked an eyebrow at the strange display, before he looked to the larger man. "Is that true?"

Tonbe felt a few drops of sweat fall down his forehead, realizing that this could turn very ugly, very quickly. "Well, I never PROMISED her it, per se… but I said we could talk about it if she came."

"Well, whatever the case, any price she is offering, I can double. I already promised my followers on Tumblr that I would play a game with it in my new scalesona suit!"

Tomoko felt her forehead heat up, anger welling within her. "Excuse me, but do you even know how to play shogi? And even if you do, you could never appreciate its art as much as I do. I am one of the best shogi players in the world. Besides, the fact is that this extravagant, ancient set is not meant to be played with like some half-baked toy; rather, it is meant to be displayed. Its value is extraordinary. And I most certainly WILL NOT allow it to be ruined by one of your furry mating rituals!" the Shogi Pro screeched in fury, turning back to Hashim. "You cannot be serious about giving this… this animal a priceless artifact!"

Sanio gasped. "Furry?! I'll have you know that we Scalies are a proud community! Why don't you check your privilege, you shitlord!"

"WAIT!" Hashim shouted in desperation. "Wait a minute. Look, we haven't even had this priced yet. I've got a guy coming in today, but until then, I couldn't give you a good price."

Tomoko took deep breaths, eventually calming down. "Very well, that is a splendid idea. And if its value is high enough, as I predict it is, it may be entitled to, under law, being forced into a museum. Where it belongs." The short tempered girl growled, looking pointedly at Saino. "Do be aware of that, Mr. Hashim."

Saino growled, looking to her other side. "Patience, Sakha. Soon... the price will be ours."

A few tense moments passed in the shop, until a handsome chinese man walked into the shop. He wore a surgical mask and had piercing bronze eyes.

"Seems I got here just in time," Gabriel Qingjie mused with a thick french accent.

Hashim grabbed the shogi set and passed it to the Appraiser. "Yes. This Shogi set was said to be from the Edo period. Could you please give us a value?"

"Why certainly," he replied. Taking out a magnifying glass, he began to inspect it thoroughly. "Hmm… Interesting, very interesting..."

"Well, what is your professional opinion?" the Shogi Pro asked him impatiently.

"My professional opinion? Well, that's simple. This is a complete fake," Gabriel said flatly.

Saino's eyes widened. "Fake! Are you being serious right now?!"

Tomoko blinked. "Really? Why do you say that?" she asked calmly.

Gabriel chuckled as he took off his mask. "It's simple, really. This wood is not native to Japan, but China. Moreover, this clearly wasn't made by hand, but by machines. Hmm, if I were to guess, this was most likely made in the early 1990s. China is well known for making knockoff artifacts to scam people. It seems the last owner was their latest mark."

"How interesting. I learned something new today." Tonbe chuckled lightheartedly. "Thank you as always, Gabe."

"The pleasure is all mine," Gabriel said as he left.

Saino looked very disappointed as she absorbed the new information. "And I got all dressed up and everything… I suppose my friends will just have to be disappointed," she muttered as she took out her phone and began to type. She left the shop, the long tail of her costume swishing behind her.

Tomoko watched the scalie leave. She kept a neutral expression on her face as she examined the knockoff shogi board carefully. "Well, as disappointing as this new revelation is, I would still like to buy this." Upon seeing the surprised look on the two boys faces, she chuckled. "Even though it may be a fake, the love and care that was put into making it is still quite astounding. The intricate patterns on the board and pieces, the polishing and sanding… someone took pride in making this. And honestly? It would make for an excellent centerpiece decoration on my living room shelf; it'd be great as a conversation starter," the Shogi Pro mused.

Hashim smiled. "Well then, I suppose it's good even fakes have their place in this world."


	7. Chapter 6: This was made by Trust Me

**Before I delve into the nitty gritty, I first wanna give a huge shoutout to CelestialSkyDragon and Magus for joining our part time team. The more the merrier! I'll also follow up with a quick moment of silence for Celestial's girl, Maribelle, who was the unfortunate first Damned in Crit Fail's Versailles Academy. F.**

**So, uh, yeah... back on topic, we have another chapter that we were gonna put out first, and it's really good! But sadly for y'all, Trust Me was just DYING to put his "special" chapter out today. We'll have the originally scheduled chapter out in a few days time. We promise it shall be worth the wait.**

**Again, I would like to reiterate ONE IMPORTANT POINT: This was all written by Trust Me I'm Me, and him alone. I'm washing my hands of this degeneracy. If you have any questions, concerns, or are eager to see more (you sick bastard), then please, feel free to PM him! Adohira x Akazukin is now canon, woot woot!**

**ONE FINAL WARNING AND DISCLAIMER: 95% of this chapter contains... well, a little bit of everything: Incest, non consentual fucking, cam whoring, and pure degeneracy.**

**You have been warned! Turn back now, all ye who are not brave enough!**

* * *

**Chapter 6: This was made by Trust Me**

**11:50 AM**

**West Wing - A Nameless Antique Store**

The doorbell jingled.

"Whoever just came in, for your own safety, you should walk back out. There's a dangerous criminal in here, namely myself, so—" The teal-haired boy narrowed his eyes. "Oh no."

Before Adohira could even think about finding somewhere to hide, he saw a rather familiar girl scurry up to his counter with all the haste of a spider on crack cocaine. He briefly admired her outfit and all its frills, but snapped himself out of it when he realized she was practically wearing a wedding dress.

"Darling!" Akazukin chirped and excitedly hopped in place. "I missed you... It's been so long! Exactly two days, six hours, nine minutes, and thirty-four seconds!"

Akazukin wasn't sure why her beloved was wearing handcuffs, but she did know one thing: seeing her beloved in restraints was titillating. However, she also couldn't help but think she should be the one tied up instead. How amazing would that feel, she wondered dreamily.

"Umm, don't you have a store to run or something?" His instinctive urge to flee was strong.

"Nope! I've closed for the day, and we can remain closed for as long as we'd like~" There was a seductive tinge to her voice as she drawled her words and shot the boy a wink.

"That's not a very good business practice, but then again, who am I to talk?" Adohira mused as he rubbed his chin. "Sorry, I'm feeling kind of discombobulated today. What do you want?"

The girl's face instantly went red and she shyly glanced at him from the side. "I-It's not about what I want... It's about what you want, Darling."

"I want to go home," Adohira deadpanned. "With the caveat of not being harassed by my sister for once, of course."

Akazukin fluttered her perfectly preened eyelashes and handed him his present. "P-Please, open it..." she stammered.

"Umm, will I regret this? Please, be honest with me." Adohira sighed when she softly shook her head. "...I was raised to never turn down a gift. Thanks, I guess… But I'll return the favor twofold as soon as I can."

Adohira swiftly undid the ribbon in a single motion and popped open the lid, revealing... a black leather collar. He noticed the words "Property of Adohira" were engraved on it.

"W-Will you be my Master?" Staring up at him with big, puppy-dog eyes, Akazukin desperately attempted to lock eyes with him.

"Slavery is illegal. No thank you," he immediately deadpanned.

"It's not slavery if there's love involved!" the girl retorted.

Cracking his neck, Adohira sat down and closed his eyes as he spoke. "Akazukin, can you tell me why you like me so much? I really shouldn't have to lecture you on this, but as far as I'm concerned, this level of love is unhealthy. You can't just latch onto someone and live as though they're the sole reason for your continued existence. I don't think a person's worth should be measured by their relations with others. Have some self-respect, seriously. Please."

"This! This is exactly what I love about Darling!" Akazukin proclaimed with a twirl and hearts in her eyes. "And not just that! Everything about you sends shivers down my spine! The way you speak with such scrutiny! Your inability to leave someone in distress without lending a hand and acting like you did nothing for them at all, afterward. The way you talk to dolls—although I wish you wouldn't talk to that hussy at the theatre—and treat them like you would a person. The way you pick up the trash others leave behind them, dishonestly citing your OCD as the reason. The way you brush your teeth for exactly three minutes and thirty-three seconds—"

"Okay, okay! Sheesh, I've heard enough. First, let me correct you: my OCD is the reason why I can't stop cleaning up after others. Secondly, you know a lot more about me than I realized. Hell, I think you know me better than I know myself... and I am sufficiently frightened," Adohira murmured with slightly widened eyes.

"I can keep going if you'd like?" Her eyes twinkled. Akazukin giggled behind her sleeves.

"No, I don't really need an ego boost. What I do need is a way to end this conversation."

"Ufufufu..." Gently swaying her doll-like hips, she smiled smugly at him. "You may not realize it, but Darling has been gradually turning on the charm ever since this conversation started. He must really like his little Akazukin, after all~"

_Huh? I have? What the fuck?_ But then again, she is a weirdo. Well, so am I... apparently. Adohira considered the possibilities and decided that he disliked them all.

"Hey. Would it be alright if we just pretend this never happened? Or at the very least, resume this madness another day?" Adohira tousled the chains of his handcuffs. "As you can see, I'm kind of busy right now... sort of."

Akazukin sniffed. Her shoulders began to tremble. "Master, please let me be your doll... I don't mind if you do to me what you do to all your other dolls... I'd love to be your little plaything!"

"Why the hell does everyone think I fuck dolls?!" Adohira cried out to the heavens. "Fuck!"

Finally done with the world and all its maniacs, the boy slammed his face into the counter—perhaps just a little too hard—and blacked out.

* * *

**Night - 3:09 AM**

**Darkness - ?**

_Ugh... I feel awful._ As Adohira groggily stirred awake, the first thing he noticed was that there was something stuffed inside his mouth. He poked at it with his tongue. A velvety texture... Silk? And what is this faintly syrupy flavor? Wait a minute, this isn't my bed, it's way too fluffy. The sudden thought provoked him to open his eyes, but the world remained dark. He had been blindfolded.

Beginning to panic (although he really should've been panicking from the moment he woke up), Adohira tried to get up but discovered that his arms and legs had been bound to the bedposts.

_Oh fuck, oh fuck! No. Stop. Calm down. Consider the scenario... Okay, I can't shout for help, I'm gagged right now, and I wouldn't want whoever my captor is to know I'm awake anyway. First, where the hell am I?_ Adohira quietly sniffed the air. Smells like... rose perfume. With vanilla undertones. Oh... this must be Akazukin's room. Oh fuck, oh fuck!

In full panic mode, Adohira thrashed about as he futilely attempted to break free from the rope. It was at this point he heard the door open, immediately followed by two sets of footsteps and a girl's giggling. His older sister's giggling to be precise. Huh? Sasami?

"Tee-hee, looks like Little Ado is already awake and full of energy! That's just wonderful, especially since he'll need it~" Sasami had an even more devious tone to her voice than usual. "So, does Little Bro enjoy the taste of his big sister's panties?"

Adohira felt bile rise up his throat, but he suppressed the urge to vomit. He didn't feel like drowning in his own puke just yet. Maybe later.

"Older Sister Sasami, these garments you chose are really quite shameless... I'm ever so embarrassed!" The moment he heard Akazukin's soft voice and the characteristic way she hid her lust behind a facade of modesty, the boy knew his life was over.

_Aw man, there goes my chance at wizardom... No, no! It's not over yet. There's always a way out! I just need to break my—_ His thoughts were interrupted by the rough motion of his blindfold being torn off. He was immediately greeted by the sight of the dimly lit ceiling, plastered with hundreds of upscaled photos featuring himself. There were pictures of him biting into an apple, pictures of him performing at the theatre (with Dolly and Becky skillfully edited out), and even pictures of him sleeping in his own bed. Wow, okay. Honestly, I admire the dedication and attention to detail. Nice stuff.

"Hey hey~ Are the pictures up there really so interesting, Little Bro? More interesting than the lovely ladies in front of you?"

Adohira would've sighed if he could, but on account of the panties in his mouth, he literally couldn't. Craning his neck ever so slightly to take in the sight of the two girls, Adohira blinked twice in the way he usually does upon seeing shit that nobody should ever see.

His sister's usual ponytail was undone and cascaded wildly down her willowy body. Regarding clothing, all she was wearing was a skin-tight leather bra with a zipper at the front. But when it came to accessories, she had on a headband with devil horns, a small set of bat wings, and a black spaded tail dangling from her supple behind. Adohira wasn't sure how the tail was attached, but he would find out soon enough. Sasami wasn't wearing any underwear—what she had been wearing was presently inside his mouth—which left her perfectly shaved privates exposed. And they were even more exposed since she just so happened to be crouched down, using two fingers to spread her folds slick with nectar. Licking her lips, she smiled at her brother like a cat about to dine on cream.

_Oh, come on, Sasami... How many times do you think we've taken baths together? It's not like this is the first time I've seen your vagina. Wait, what am I reminiscing for? This is fucked up._

"M-Master, please look at me!" In contrast to his devilish sister, Akazukin looked like an angel. A very, very lewd angel. She had marginally more clothes on than Sasami: white lace lingerie, elbow-length gloves, garter stockings that enticingly pinched her pale thighs, a pair of mini angel wings, and an oversized ribbon on her head. Amidst a sea of white, the black collar that apparently marked her as his 'property' was so tight around her slender neck that it nearly choked her. She liked it that way. And the fabric of her top was translucent enough for Adohira to notice the pink sheen of her perky nipples. Speaking of pink, her blushing face was almost as pink as her neck-length bangs, which he noted were missing their usual hair extensions. The younger and much shorter (by over a foot) of the two girls sat on her knees near the foot of the bed, her hands neatly folded on her lap. Her breathing—nay, panting—was heavy with desire and this frightened Adohira. Even this robot of a boy instinctively knew the glassy gloss of her silver eyes screamed, "I want your babies!"

Both of the girls had thin wisps of steam rising from their skin, as if they had just come out of the shower together.

_I want to go home... On second thought, that'd be a really bad idea, huh? Okay, what do I do now? Pray to God? Buddha? Satan? Nah, fuck that. Back to Plan B, which stands for break my arms—_

Sasami stood up and slithered her way over to his face, making sure to rub her body against his as she did so. "Oh? Little Ado is thinking about breaking his cute little arms, isn't he? No, no, that won't do at all! Don't spoil the party, we're going to celebrate your new relationship with Akazukin! And like the responsible big sister she is, Sasami-san is here to teach you two how to have safe, consensual fun~"

_We're not even dating!_ Adohira groaned in irritation. Akazukin softly moaned in anticipation.

"First things first, let's introduce Little Ado's 'Little Ado' to Akazukin, hee-hee~" With an audible snap of Sasami's fingers, the boy felt the other girl gingerly, yet urgently tug his boxer shorts down to his knees. Akazukin gasped and shyly covered her eyes upon seeing his flaccid penis flop out.

"O-Older Sister Sasami... Wh-What should we do? Master is still soft... Is it my fault? Am I not attractive enough?" The sorrow was palpable in her lowered voice and even Adohira briefly felt bad. But then he remembered that this was all bullshit.

"Two naughty girls just for you, and you're still not hard? Hmph! How cute. Don't worry, Little Sis! He just needs some encouragement~" she breathily whispered the last word straight into Adohira's ear; it felt like his brain was tingling. Sasami then lightly nibbled on his ear before turning around to slam her lady parts straight onto his face.

Adohira flinched as his entire vision was consumed by his sister's milky white behind. It was at this moment he realized Sasami's spaded tail was plugged directly into her butt. The overpowering aroma of her sweet juices flooded his nostrils. He groaned in protest, but unfortunately for him, she interpreted that as a moan of approval. Sasami cheerfully shifted about until her moist slit grinded directly against his nose.

"Ooh, yes! That's the spot~" Sliding back and forth, Sasami abused her brother as a masturbatory aid. Peeping from between her fingers, Akazukin watched in wonder as she sat in the growing puddle of her arousal. These bed sheets were never going to smell the same again.

Slowly but surely, Adohira's cock began to stiffen. He couldn't help it; his sister's love hormones were forcing his body to react, coaxing him with debased sisterly affection.

"There we go... Good boy!" With a devilish grin, she flicked his engorged member, causing it to bounce back and bop her on the nose. "Oopsies! Hee-hee, looks like Mr. Penis is eager for some sisterly love~"

Grabbing a bundle of her metallic hair in one hand, she draped it over his cock head. Teasingly, she swirled her tresses around his reddening glans. The boy's eyes clenched shut from the maddeningly ticklish sensation. "Mmm~ Do you like the way Sasami-san's hair wraps around your cock? Feels silky smooth, doesn't it?"

"My hair is softer..." Akazukin mumbled as she twirled a strand around her finger and pouted. Secretly, Akazukin regretted removing her hair extensions for the occasion. She vowed that next time she'd be prepared with locks so long they would touch the floor.

"Oh, Sasami-san is so sorry! She didn't mean to NTR you!" The mischievous glint in her eyes suggested otherwise. She pointed the tip of his dick to Akazukin. "Here, why don't you give Mr. Penis a smooch?"

"You want m-me to s-smooch Master's p-penis?" the girl stammered but slowly drew her face closer.

"Geez, don't be shy~ Kiss that dick already! If you don't hurry up, Sasami-san will have the first taste—"

Akazukin urgently threw her head forward and planted a wet kiss on the head of his cock. Her pretty little lips felt like satin as they peppered his glans with vanilla-flavored kisses.

Sasami cooed in delight as she lowered her hand and began pumping Adohira's cock, adding yet another layer of pleasure to the decadent experience. With her free hand, she gave Akazukin affectionate head pats. "Ooh, good girl... Little Red is such a good, obedient girl~"

"Haaah... Master's penis... So warm..." Akazukin's eyes glazed over in pleasure as she worshipped his throbbing member.

"Give him some tongue action too~ You want to taste his precum, don't you?" Sasami giggled and sped up her strokes. She caressed his flesh tenderly yet swiftly, and with all the skill of a girl who really knew her way around meat.

"...Master's precum?" Akazukin shuddered in delight at the thought. She drew her head back slightly and lapped at his frenulum. Her perfectly pink tongue felt like wet silk over his tender skin.

Soon enough, the girl's efforts were rewarded by a bead of clear liquid emerging from his tip. Her eyes zoned in on it, and before Sasami could even think about snatching the treat for herself, Akazukin took his crown into her tiny, sensitive mouth. Her cheek bulged obscenely with the silhouette of his cock.

Akazukin lewdly moaned around his cock as she swirled her tongue around the glans. The vibrations sent electric pleasure coursing through his entire body.

Sasami looked on and felt a deranged sense of pride. Like a gracious older sister, Sasami withdrew her hand to give the other girl a chance to show her skills. "Wow~ Little Red's really going at it, huh? So, how does her hot little mouth feel?"

Adohira gave no hint of a response. His brain was practically fried. All he could do was clench his thighs and think of his family— Nope, never mind.

Meanwhile, Akazukin was in heaven. The lustful little angel hummed a happy tune as she gave him an increasingly sloppy blowjob. But no, this wasn't enough for her. The greedy girl began to pick up the pace until his cock poked the entrance to her throat. With one final push, she rammed him all the way down her throat and nearly orgasmed on the spot. Her panties were absolutely drenched with her love juices.

"Oh my! Deepthroat? Sasami-san didn't know you were such an oral slut~" Even Sasami had begun to show signs of blushing. She enjoyed seeing Akazukin's collar bulge because of the meat crammed down her throat. And the sight of her little brother's hips bucking as he squirmed around gave her warm, fuzzy feelings inside. It didn't seem like Akazukin would be coming up any time soon.

After well over a minute, Akazukin slowly lifted her head off the cock that was stuffed deep down her throat. With a wet pop, the boy's penis was finally freed from its prison of flesh. She immediately gasped for air. "Haaah... haaah..."

"No gag reflex, hmm? Sasami-san thought Little Sis was a pure girl, but she turned out to be a dirty little suck doll~ Big Sis is a bit disappointed in you, ya know?" the older girl mused with a teasing smile.

"P-Please don't th-think of me as a lewd girl! I've just been... mwah... studying the hentai magazines... mwah... that Kazuko lent me... mwah... and practicing on dildos," Akazukin shamefully admitted as she punctuated her confession with shameless kisses to Adohira's aching cock.

"Aww, Little Red is such a diligent girl! Big Sis is so proud of you... Now, put that throat-pussy of yours to good use and make him pop!" This entire time, Sasami hadn't stopped grinding her honeypot against Adohira's face, and now she reached down to teasingly pinch at his nipples.

"Yes, ma'am!" Akazukin gave an out-of-place salute and proceeded to fuck her face on Adohira's cock. Mercilessly, she abused her throat—a hole which Mother Nature hadn't intended to have any sexual function at all. But for Akazukin, the gratification she received from feeling her master pulsating inside her mouth had her teetering on the edge of a mind-blowing orgasm.

Spit was flung everywhere as Akazukin rocked her head back and forth, rapidly approaching her own climax. A thin strand of drool flew all the way over to splatter against Sasami's lips, which the older girl lustfully lapped up with her thin, snake-like tongue. "Mmm, yes! Keep it up, you filthy little mouth slut~ He's close!" Sasami cheered as she clawed the poor boy and left red streaks across his chest.

_Ow! What the fuck?!_ The pain revived him from his nearly comatose state. _Holy shit, Sasami. Think about my virgin fucking ears! Fucking ears...? Nope, nope, nope! This never crossed my mind!_

Meanwhile... Master's semen, Master's semen, Master's semen, the sexual mantra echoed inside the pinkette's head. She felt the burning need to drink him down, to fill her every last inch of her insides with his burning hot seed, to milk him dry until her mind was painted white. Feed me, Master!

Adohira's eyes rolled to the back of his head as, for the very first time in his life—excluding involuntary wet dreams—he came. Akazukin felt his cock swell inside her throat and, at that orgasmic moment, she let out a cock-muffled scream. A wave of pleasure washed over her as she received her own climax, courtesy of a brutal throat-fuck.

"Mrow~ Kitty needs her cream!"

Suddenly, just before he exploded down her throat, Akazukin felt her head being forcibly pulled off. Dazed by her orgasm-induced stupor, she could only watch in silent horror as Sasami took her master's penis into her mouth instead.

Sasami's eyes lit up in delight as she felt her little brother unload inside her mouth. Countless ropes of baby batter filled her steamy mouth to the brim. She gave his balls a slight squeeze to ensure that she got every last drop. Careful not to swallow any just yet, she rolled around his thick, chewy load on her tongue and savored its naughty flavor.

"Mmm! So much yummy cream~ Are you trying to impregnate your big sister's mouth?" She exclaimed with a mouth full of white goo.

_...That's not how pregnancy works,_ Adohira thought weakly as he faded in and out of consciousness.

"B-But why...? Why would you do this to me? NTR is my least favorite genre!" With fire in her eyes, Akazukin glared dangerously at the girl who had a line of semen oozing down her chin.

Before Akazukin could tear the traitor's throat out, Sasami gave a cheeky wink and—without any hesitation—lunged forward to hungrily press their lips together. Akazukin moaned in surprise when she felt Sasami's serpentine tongue swap the sticky seed between their mouths. Wanting more of her master's taste, Akazukin eagerly made out with the older girl, engaging in a feverish tango of tongues. Sasami was absorbed in lezzing out with her cute 'Little Sis,' but Akazukin seemed more focused on gulping down and competing for as much of her master's tasty treat as possible.

With shuddering gasps for air, the two girls finally disengaged from their make out session. Sasami seductively dragged her tongue up her palm as she eyed the half-lidded girl across from her. "Oh, you really are such a cum slut~ Sasami-san can't believe you came just from having your throat-pussy fucked! So, how does Little Ado's first load of the night taste?"

Akazukin's face, which was normally as perfect as a porcelain doll's, was now a complete mess. Loose strands of hair clung to her flushed face, and leftover semen painted her lips white. "Creamy... and so amazingly thick... Oh, I can still feel him clinging to my throat~" She purred like a well-fed kitten. "I read that semen is supposed to taste bitter, but Master was ever so sweet~"

"Well, of course! Little Bro's diet is like, ninety-percent fruit! He's such a picky eater, tsk tsk!" She clicked her tongue the way a disapproving mother would.

_...Quit talking about me like I'm not even here._ Adohira's head felt like it was spinning. _Do you mind if I just pass out already?_

As if supernaturally-attuned to her brother's thoughts, Sasami finally lifted her dripping pussy off his face and spun around to stare down at him. "Now now, we still have a long night ahead of us! Haven't you slept enough?"

Haha... Fuck no.

"Older Sister Sasami! Master is going soft... What should we do?!" Once again, Akazukin sounded like she was on the verge of tears. Déjà vu.

"Well, we can't have that happen, can we? Leave it to Big Sis!" Sasami slid down to his side, and with a wolfish grin, slipped his softening member underneath her tight leather bra. "There there, is Mr. Penis comfortable? Does he feel nice and snug between Sasami-san's warm titties?"

Adohira clenched his fists in pleasure. Against his will, he felt himself begin to harden once more as he was assaulted by three different textures: his sister's soft flesh, the smooth leather, and worse of all, the bra's metal zipper which grazed against his glans.

"It's too bad neither of us are big enough for some proper paizuri action, huh? Oh well! Whaddya wanna try next, Little Sis?" Sasami asked in a teasing tone as she absentmindedly rubbed her chest along the boy's shaft. Adohira did his best to endure the insidious blend of pain and pleasure produced by his sister's clothed tit-fuck.

"Uh... I-I want to... Master's umm..." Akazukin struggled to complete a full sentence as she squirmed in place. The motion caused her miniature angels wings to flutter cutely as she did so.

Sasami giggled. "If Little Sis can't decide, then how about we ask Little Bro? Hmm... Oh, Sasami-san knows! How would you like to fuck your sister's thighs? Or maybe you want to fuck her feet? Sasami-san has always wanted to try giving a footjob—"

At that moment, Akazukin pulled her top off and pressed her petite chest against Sasami's. She stared into the older girl's eyes with a determined look on her otherwise embarrassed face. "I don't want to lose to the other girls! If I can't use every part of my body—even the parts that are lacking—to please Master, then how could I ever consider myself his?"

"Ooh, double naizuri? What a delightful idea~" Sasami unzipped her bra and pushed her bare bosom back against the smaller girl's chest. "Let's fuck him up, shall we?"

Akazukin shyly nodded. They embraced each other, wrapping their arms around the other's waist and squishing their budding breasts together with Adohira's cock meat as the filling. Between the two sets of teeny tits, there was just enough delightful cleavage to smother his throbbing dick from both sides. It was like being pinned between heaven and hell.

The devil and the angel began their lovey-dovey double naizuri in earnest. Sasami's modest chest was warmer and bouncier; her flesh molded around his cock as if trying to swallow it whole. In comparison, Akazukin's tiny tits were surprisingly cool and firm to the touch. The two perky pairs slid up and down his shaft in perfect unison.

The reason for Sasami's uncharacteristic silence soon became clear when she opened her mouth and a waterfall of drool drizzled down onto the crown of his penis. Fully lubricated, the boy's cock was now firmly in heaven as the girls' flawless skin glided effortlessly over him. Akazukin let out a shuddering moan and savored the sensation of her master's rock-hard rod between her itty-bitty titties.

"Ooh la la~ Your nipples are so stiff! They feel really good rubbing against Sasami-san's nipples, ya know? And they're so pretty and pink! Sasami-san is super jealous~" With a naughty wink, she couldn't resist planting a quick cum-flavored kiss on Akazukin's lips.

"O-Older Sister Sasami... Your b-breasts feel wonderful against mine too..." Her heart fluttered from the praise. Akazukin reasoned that Sasami had fifty-percent of her master's DNA, so it was almost like Adohira himself had just complimented her.

"Oh my gosh! Little Red is just way too adorable! Sasami-san can't wait to see what her cute little face looks like when it's coated in cum~"

Akazukin felt a shiver of ecstasy run down her spine. Just the thought of her master's pure white seed raining down on her porcelain features nearly made her orgasm on the spot. She wanted him to mark her. She wanted to drown in his scent until everyone knew that she was his property. She wanted to be used and abused like the filthy fucktoy she was. She wanted to be his portable onahole—

"Gross. Just one taste and you're already such a helpless cum addict..." Sasami sighed in mock disappointment. "Hee-hee, just kidding! At least you're our little fuckdoll~ Alrighty, let's kick this party up a notch!"

Without much of a warning, Sasami shoved two fingers into Akazukin's open mouth and promptly finger-fucked the girl's tender throat-pussy. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she submissively allowed the older girl to do as she pleased. All the while, the angel and devil duo continued to titty-fuck the boy's dick into blissful oblivion.

"Hehehe, let's get you nice and lubed up for the main event!" Sasami wore a devilish smirk as she slowly withdrew her fingers slick with spit from Akazukin's perfectly trained fellatio fuckhole. "Hey, do you know what Big Sis loves the most about your panties? They leave your cute little butthole exposed~"

"Haaah... Huh? What are you—eek!" Akazukin squealed when she felt Sasami's finger enter through the heart-shaped cut-out of her crotchless panties and up her tight ass. Nothing had ever gone up there before, and the sensation was at once both alien and sublime.

"Ouchie! Little Red's butt is so tight, it feels like poor Mr. Finger will be pinched off!" Despite her apparent pain (which in reality only made things better for her), Sasami eagerly twisted her finger deeper inside.

"O-Older Sister Sasami... Oh! Umm, th-that's the wrong hole..."

"Don't be such a silly girl~ Has Little Sis forgotten already? You can't have bareback, baby-making sex until after you're married! Then, and only then, can the two of you pop your cherries together~"

"Oh, I see..." The girl's face slightly darkened in disappointment. She seemed to ruminate on the idea as she used her forearms to squeeze Adohira's cock between her breasts even harder, eliciting a low moan from the boy.

"Now now, there's no need to be upset! Besides, don't pretend like you don't want his hard cock up your ass, you little buttslut~" Sasami giggled as she felt her finger being sucked further in with no effort on her part. "Oh my~ What a talented butthole!"

"Mmph~" Akazukin muffled her moan by pressing her lips against Sasami's, astonishing the older girl with her initiative. "Ooh... I-I can't take it anymore! I need it! I need Master's burning hot love on my face!"

"Tee-hee! Little Red is such an eager bitch in heat~ Hmm, maybe we should've made you wear puppy ears and a fluffy tail up your butt? Oh well, there's always next time~" Sasami offered with a scandalous smirk. "If Little Sis really wants it so bad, then how about we hear her beg for it like a good little doggie~"

Showing only the slightest hint of shame, Akazukin barked. "W-Woof, woof! Master, please reward your personal puppy slut! This pretty little face is all yours—mark your property!"

With a dying man's grunt, Adohira's cock erupted between the girls' tits and exploded all over their blushing faces. Steaming hot blasts of cum gushed out of his dick like an out-of-control fire hose. The first three shots arced high into the air and landed down onto Akazukin's head, adding sticky white highlights to her pink hair. The fourth shot went straight into Sasami's left eye, and the fifth smeared her lips. At that moment, Akazukin swiftly grabbed his raging cock and aimed it at her, earning all five of his final shots to her face. Thoroughly coated in his cream, Akazukin's slight shoulders shuddered in euphoria.

With one eye glued shut in a semi-permanent wink, Sasami laughed. "Red Riding Hood is starting to look more like Snow White! Honestly, you're such a greedy girl~"

Akazukin could only mewl in response as she basked in the feeling of her master's warmth. Seeing an opportunity to take her share, Sasami darted forward to begin licking the girl's face clean. She slurped up every last strand, and after swishing the load inside her mouth, she playfully blew a big cum bubble.

When the pearlescent bubble of jizz popped on her nose, Akazukin was brought back to her senses. "Hmm? Oh my! Please forgive me. I didn't mean to take all of Master's semen for myself." Akazukin bowed her head apologetically. "Even if it's rightfully mine," she muttered to herself possessively.

"Oh, Big Sis doesn't mind! Little Sis deserves all the cream she wants—she worked so hard for it, after all!" Tapping the girl on her cum-stained lips, Sasami hummed in a carefree manner. "Hmm, hmm, hmmm~ Okie dokes, Sasami-san thinks it's about time we reach our climax!"

"C-C-Climax?" Akazukin whimpered in anticipation as she watched the older girl rise up to hover her rear over her brother's semi-erect dick. "Are you going to...?"

"That's right! Like Sasami-san said, premarital pussy-pounding is off-limits, but butt stuff is totes okay! Now now, Sasami-san knows Little Red wants to ride the pony first, but Big Sis is the only one who hasn't had an orgasm yet, so she's feeling really left out! Be a good little girl and— KYAAH!"

With lifeless eyes like those of a killer's, Akazukin heartlessly grabbed Sasami's spaded tail by the base and yanked with all her might. The long string of anal beads that had been keeping the tail in place were pulled out all at once, ravaging the girl's innards. Sasami collapsed and convulsed with the pleasure of a freshly ruined ass. Shiny bubbles of leftover cum frothed from her mouth.

"Forgive me, but I had to do it. Of course, I am ever so grateful to Older Sister Sasami for all that she's taught me, but she was in our way... My p-pussy is aching for your c-cock, Master... I-I want you to c-creampie me... No, I need you to flood my womb with your hot baby batter!" With a low moan, Akazukin crawled over on all fours until she was positioned directly above his cock.

Adohira's eyes widened as he took in the girl's perfect, doll-like body. Her virgin pussy was pristine, puffy, and flushed pink with arousal. Her petals glistened like jewels, and the boy could tell they would feel mind-blowingly squishy around his— No! We can't fucking do this!

The boy feebly flailed as he gave one last effort to escape his bonds, but it was all for naught. Akazukin panted hysterically as she slowly lowered her hips, mere inches away from the penetration that had long been the subject of her fantasies.

_...So this is what it's come to, huh? Fuck it. There's only one thing left to do._ In a moment of sudden clarity, Adohira used the last of his energy to thrust forward and ram his cock up Akazukin's ass instead.

"Oh, yes, yes, yes! Breed me, Master! Breed my butt! It's all yours! I'm all yours! Akazukin is your exclusive little fucktoy, a sex doll for your pleasure alone~ And in return, all she asks is that you fuck her harder!" Akazukin seemed so captivated by the sensation of her beloved inside her, she didn't even care that he hadn't popped her cherry. Tirelessly and without any consistent rhythm, she wildly bounced her dainty derrière up and down his cock like she was trying to kill him.

Adohira really was on the verge of death, but he barely managed to buck his hips along to her insane tempo. More was at stake here than just his pittance of a life—parenthood—and so he fucked her ass for all he was worth. She was so agonizingly tight it felt like his dick was about to be torn off. Her backdoor had a vice grip around his shaft and clung to his skin with every sloppy stroke.

The pale flesh of her rump slapped noisily against his thighs as she came down again and again. All the while, she madly repeated, "I love you, I love you, I love you!"

Adohira swore he saw glowing pink hearts light up her eyes.

"Break me, Master! Break your little bitch!" Tears began to trickle down her cheeks, and the boy couldn't tell whether they were tears of joy or pain from having her ass split in two.

"Let's live together forever and ever, Master! I want a cottage with a white picket fence; somewhere secluded—far away from all those whores—where we can raise our twenty children together~"

_Twenty children?! What do you think you are, a rabbit?_ He shuddered at the thought of her little hips enduring so much. That can't be physically possible...

"Every day, I'll wake you up with a morning blowjob... After breakfast, you can bend me over the table and fuck me raw~ I want you to carry me on your cock around the house like an onahole, Master!"

_Like a what? Ah fuck, I don't care. I can't think anymore... Kill me now._

"We can spend all day doing everything~ You can use my mouth, my lips, my throat... Unf~" Akazukin wrapped her hands around her neck and began to gently choke herself.

_What you need is to see a psychiatrist._

"Yes, oh yes! Every single cell of my body was created for your pleasure! I was born to be your doll, Master~ My breasts, my feet, my hands, my thighs, my hair—even my face! Ooh, I want to nuzzle your cock against my cheeks so badly!"

With every passing second, she slammed her ass harder and faster down on the boy's poor pelvis. The slippery sphincter of a true anal slut compressed his cock, intent on milking out every last drop of seed from his overworked balls. Adohira's third and final load wouldn't be his biggest, but it would certainly be his hardest.

"Your dutiful little maid will do whatever you ask for, so please! Please give it to her! She needs the creampie—the nakadashi—oh please, please, please, Master!" Akazukin pleaded in third-person (the influence of Sasami, no doubt) and moaned whorishly as she sat down on his cock with one final slam.

"Daddy, please make me a MOMMY!"

"For the last time, that's NOT HOW PREGNANCY WORKS!" Adohira fired the truth bullet with such force, he managed to finally spit his sister's panties out. "I'm calling the fucking—"

He was stopped mid-sentence when Akazukin threw her head down and mashed her mouth against his. On her lips, he could taste the tiniest traces of his own semen.

_Huh, I really am kind of sweet... Am I at risk of diabetes?_ The ridiculously out-of-place thought was cut short by the two of them reaching the zenith of their climax together.

Adohira saw stars as the last of his seed surged forth and was gulped down by Akazukin's ravenous anus. With bowels newly baptized by cum, the girl mewled into his mouth happily, content that she had finally gotten the anal creampie she begged for. Getting her womb flooded could wait for another day—tomorrow, perhaps.

As the 'couple' recovered from their orgasm—their chests rising and falling in unison with the other's—Akazukin uttered the forbidden words, "Master, I love you~"

"Umm... Well, according to some made-up commandment, I guess we more or less have to date now, yeah?" Adohira sighed with the weariness of a man who had just jumped into his own grave. He spared a disdainful glance at his cumrag of an older sister; she was snoring peacefully on the floor.

"Master..." Akazukin gazed adoringly into his eyes before resting her head against his chest. "Ehehehe~"

"I liked it better when you called me, 'Darling.'" Not that I liked that at all, either.

"Mmm... Master~" she dreamily repeated.

"Okay. You win." Adohira gave up.


	8. Chapter 7: Communist and Tapioca Pudding

**Hey everyone! Welcome to the REAL next chapter. I do hope y'all aren't too traumatized by the last chapter, so please accept this whopping 10k fluff chapter as an apology from us.**

**First off, on a serious note, I do wanna thank Trust Me for being such a good sport. He was dared to write that lemon quite a while ago, and was pressured by his waifu Squalina into posting it. So once again, I wanna thank him.**

**Second, I want to give a big shoutout and thanks to Crit Fail and Superguy, for finishing the adaptation for Railroad of Despair! While this story may have been far shorter than the others, it holds a special place in my heart as the first big thing I contributed to when I first joined the Discord way back when last October. Damn, has it been that long?**

**And lastly, this chapter is dedicated to the Queen of Emojis herself, Alto! For those of you who don't know, she's a damn good artist, having drawn all the sprites and art for Crit's Versailles Academy, and somewhat recently drew a hilarious comic involving the Tapioca Challenge, which inspired many parts of this chapter. Seriously, she's amazing and deserves so much more credit.**

**That's all from me, but CelestialSkyDragon has a small message for you all…**

**Celestial: Hey y'all! I just wanted to share my sentiments with you all. I never thought I would become a part of this, but believe me, it's has been a blast to write. I truly do hope you enjoy this chapter. Even though it took awhile to get out, we wanted it to be perfect. I'll be working on this along with my own stuff and Oasis of Hope, so I do hope you look forward to more of this crazy story. Enjoy the chapter everyone!**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Communists and Tapioca Pudding**

**11:47 AM**

**South Wing - Karate Bob's Dojo**

A small, blonde girl let out a cry as she fell to the ground, shaking slightly as she stood to get up. Nonetheless, she glared with determination at the large, towering albino girl standing above her.

"You have improved significantly, Annabelle," Yumei Mao, the self appointed sensei of the dojo, admitted. "However, it is still not enough!" With a motion as quick as a blur, Yumei gave a firm, yet held back kick to the small girl's side, causing her to tumble to the ground yet again.

This time, Annabelle Lupin was unable to get up, as she sat on the ground, dejected. "I… I can't keep going, Sensei," she mumbled. "I'm not sure I can do this."

Yumei continued to glare at her pupil, her eyes narrowing as she bent down to look her in the eyes. "Annabelle, do you remember why we fight here?"

She nodded her head quietly. "We have to protect ourselves."

"That's right. And do you remember who we have to protect ourselves from?"

"The Red Menace!" Annabelle shouted, her determination slowly returning.

The Dojo Sensei gave her a small smile. "That's right. They'll show us no mercy one day, so we must return the favor!" Yumei helped her pupil up, before returning to her fighting stance. "So, again. This time, lower your left arm to shield your rib cage. You must protect your vitals at all costs!"

"Yes, Sensei!" Annabelle shouted.

Outside in the dojo's viewing area, a nervous teenage boy with sky blue hair chewed on his fingernails, wincing in concern each time Annabelle was knocked down or even hit.

He turned to look at one of the other kid's mothers watching with him. "W-What if one of the kids gets hurt? Don't you agree the sensei is being too rough?"

The woman looked at him strangely. "Dear, it's a karate dojo. Getting hit is part of it, sweetheart."

"B-But still, um, what if they fall wrong and break a leg? O-Or land on their neck? There are so many serious injuries they could get!" Haruto said, shaking. "I-I think I'll go talk to the sensei. I'm sure she'll understand." He straightened, determined now.

The mother gave a small laugh. "Well, you are quite the parental figure, aren't you?"

The blue-haired boy blushed. "Um, well, I work at the Sunnyside Daycare in the opposite wing of the mall," he explained. "I like taking care of children."

"I see." She nodded, returning her attention to watching the class. "I don't think I have seen you around here before, and you're clearly not a parent, so you must be someone's sibling," she deduced. "Who are you here for?"

Haruto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Uh, I'm not anyone's sibling," he explained with a light laugh. "Uh, I'm here for Annabelle. My girlfriend and I are her babysitters, and her mothers are going to be out of the country for the next few months, so we're taking care of her," the Caretaker said with a smile. "Though Annabelle does call me her uncle."

"Oh, how responsible of you. Annabelle is such a sweet girl. I wish my son was as well behaved and respectful as her!" the mother gushed, before pointing to a spiky-haired boy. "Oh, there he is."

Haruto and the mother watched silently as the boy took Yumei's place. Their sensei watched them bow to each other, before the boy and Annabelle began then walked off to begin mentoring her other students.

The boy quickly gained the upper hand on the small blonde, pushing her back. Eventually, Annabelle managed to recover, aiming a left hooked punch to the boy's stomach, which he deftly deflected; however, this was simply a diversion. Annabelle followed up with a kick— straight into the boy's groin.

Haruto felt his face pale in horror as he heard the boy's mother gasp, raising a hand to her mouth.

"I think now would be a good time to go talk to the sensei. Please, excuse me," the blue-haired boy said quickly, hurrying into the dojo as fast as he could.

Inside, he saw Annabelle standing over the boy triumphantly as he rolled around on the floor, clutching his privates in pain. "Sensei! Annabelle hit me in my special place!" he whined. "That's cheating!"

"Was not!" the small blonde retorted.

"Was too!"

Planning to scold Annabelle, Haruto considered intervening himself; however, he saw the sensei walking over and he relaxed.

_'Good. She'll handle this responsibly. I have to admit, she went too far,'_ the Daycare Worker mused.

However, he could not have been more shocked as the sensei actually smiled, patting Annabelle on the head in praise.

Haruto headed over quickly, confused. "I'm sorry, Sensei," he babbled, "but you're not going to punish her?"

Yumei Mao turned to him, and even though he was only a few inches shorter than the muscular albino, he still felt like a small ant under her hulking gaze.

"Annabelle did nothing wrong," the Sensei said firmly. "Her smart tactic of distracting him with a punch and then aiming for a weak spot was quite cunning, and even better effective." She turned to the spiky haired boy, giving him a disapproving glare. "If anything, this is his punishment for not protecting a vital weak point."

The humiliated boy gave her an incredulous glare, as he winced in pain. "But sensei, it was a dirty hit! It's not fair!"

"Fair?" The albino's eyes narrowed, and Haruto could tell that was very much the wrong thing for him to say. "Let me tell you about fair. Everyone, line up!" The sensei barked loudly, as all of the students immediately dropped what they were doing and lined up single file, their arms quietly and respectfully rested behind their backs. Nobody so much as made a sound, even the injured boy.

Yumei began walking up and down, looking all of them over, as if she was a drill sergeant. "Students, why to train our bodies and minds to the limit every day here?"

"To protect ourselves from the Red Menace!" They all shouted in unison.

"Red Menace? What?" Haruto was completely lost already.

The hulking sensei nodded in approval. "That's right. The Red Menace!" She then resumed her walking. "When I was young, the filthy commies took everything from me. My home, my friends and family. They razed our temple to the ground, and showed nobody any mercy. I barely managed to escape as the sole survivor, and I swore that day I would make sure that everyone would be prepared for the horrors of the communist regime."

Upon hearing the sensei's story, the daycare worker felt his blood go cold and his face pale. "How awful. No wonder she's so strict." He mumbled sadly.

She continued her speech, no hint of sadness in her voice. Only thick determination. "That is why I came to you all many fortnights ago, when you were being led by that false, foolish teacher you all called 'Karate Bob'. I freed you all from his false teachings, and have led you upon the true, righteous path of the self defense arts," She paused, closing her eyes and placing a hand over her heart, as if in prayer. "I wish to prepare you for the bloodbath that is to come one day, as even now, the filthy Chinese commies may have sent spies within our proud people. They plot, scheme, and wait for the day that they can strike, and enslave us all! That is why I train you so harshly, it is out of love!" She opened her eyes, pointing at them all. "Now, back to work! We are low on time today, so I expect you all to finish with nothing but your very best!"

"Yes, Sensei Mao!" They shouted again in unison, running back to their activities.

Haruto noticed the injured boy from earlier try to sneak off, but unfortunately for him, so did Yumei.

And where do you think you're going?" She asked sharply.

The boy's face flushed. "U-Um, I was just going to get ice for, my um…" his face blushed brighter, as he pointed downward to his unfortunate injury.

"You'll get ice when I say you can. 5 laps around the room. If you walk, you'll have to start over." The albino told him harshly.

He opened his mouth as if to complain, but thought better about it. "Y-Yes sensei," He bowed stiffly, and awkwardly began to jog, whimpering.

Haruto watched him go with pity, before he felt Yumei's eyes shift back to him. "Yes, may I help you?"

Haruto swallowed, nodding his head. "Y-Yes ma'am!" He squeaked. "I, um, wished to talk to you about Annabelle, if you don't mind?"

"Ah, yes. You are her caretaker for the next few months. The Lupins informed me last week," The sensei turned to look up at the enormous clock above them, frowning. "Class is almost finished, I would be happy to discuss things with you in a few minutes after I help a few of my pupils. Please, make yourself comfortable."

The blue haired boy nodded meekly, taking a seat in the corner of the room, as he watched the kids train. It was rather interesting, and the kids were certainly motivated. He first observed a group of kids punching practice dummies, though amusingly enough, the dummies had been modified and painted to look like Chinese soldiers. The children's war cries rang out as they punched and kicked.

"Die, communist swine!"

"Better dead than red!"

"Death is a more preferable alternative to communism!"

"Communism is the very definition of failure!"

"Embrace democracy or be eradicated!"

Haruto could not help but stare at them incredulously. He then caught a strange sight out of the corner of his eye, seeing a bright green bush of all things slinking along the floor slowly. The blue haired boy blinked, intrigued, as he watched it slowly approach a chinese dummy, stopping right in front of it.

The daycare employee watched, waiting for something to happen, however nothing did. Several seconds passed, enough for Haruto to wonder if he had just been seeing things, before suddenly a kid wearing a ninja outfit jumped out with a small wooden katana, lunging at the dummy. "SURPRISE MOTHERFUCKER!" The child screamed as he began beating the dummy senseless.

"That's not even martial arts," He mumbled, before his eyes widened as he realized the bigger issue. "Hey, wait a second! Watch your language!" The daycare employee fretted, upset.

"Foul language is not the biggest issue they will face in their lives." Responded a familiar voice behind him.

Haruto turned around slowly, noticing that Yumei had returned.

"You said you wished to talk about Annabelle? Is something the matter?" She asked curiously.

Haruto stood up quickly, clearing his throat. "U-Um, yes. I understand that you're passionate about your job, but did you have to tell them all about your past? I mean, they're acting kinda crazy, don't you agree?" He asked, gesturing to the ninja kid who was still whacking away at the dummy.

"My past?" Yumei asked, puzzled for a moment, before she seemed to realize what he was saying. A ghost of an amused smile graced her face for a brief moment, before she quickly buried it before Haruto could notice. "Ah, yes, of course. Well, I'm simply inspiring them with my life stories, is Annabelle unhappy about it in some way?"

"Well, no, but…" the blue haired boy glanced at the girl in question, noticing her enthusiastically joining her classmates in wailing on the helpless dummies. "She seems, well, overly enthusiastic about annihilating communist dogs. As a person who loves and cares for nurturing children, it concerns me."

"Well, who wouldn't?" Yumei replied seriously, however internally she could not help but laugh. "What is your name? You work with children, I assume?"

"My name is Haruto, and yes I do. I work at Sunnyside Daycare in the opposite wing of the mall." He explained.

"I see. Come over here Haruto," The albino girl requested, gesturing him over to a large, strange bear statue. "This is Sabankuma." She told him.

Haruto eyed the statue, noticing it was a dual colored bear that looked similar to the Mall's mascot, but was garbed in a strange conductor outfit. "I, um, see. But what does this have to do with anything?"

"Karate Bob tried to use it to beat me," Yumei said cryptically.

"I beg your pardon?"

Once again, the sensei bit back a laugh, but once again kept a straight face. "When I challenged the very inept and unskilled Karate Bob for ownership of this place, he knew he could not beat me. He knew he was a fraud, after all. So, when he found out I was Chinese, he took this old animatronic statue from the Mall's storage. It used to be the mascot for the Mall's old kiddie railroad that ran the span of the central hub, or something like that," Yumei waved her hand dismissively. "At any rate, he refurbished it, and recorded brand new lines into it. Come the day of our match, he thought these recorded, borderline racist slurs would cause me to lose my edge. Observe." She pressed the button at the base of the statue.

"Goddamn, look at the ching chong chinawoman over here! She's uglier than a dead blobfish, it's probably because chinese people eat dogs all the time!"

"Whoa." The blue haired boy blinked for a second, before managing to respond. "W-What happened?"

"Mmm, I beat the everloving shit out of him, of course," She told him casually, as if she had just told him what she ate for breakfast. "He has never shown up since. After all, what little honor he did have was broken," Yumei looked up at the statue once more. "I keep this here as a reminder that my will can never be broken so easily. Also, the students do enjoy it." She admitted.

"I, um, I see," Haruto said nervously. "Forgive me, but I fail to see how this is relevant."

The sensei was about to respond, but not before the giant clock above them boomed, signaling the top of the hour. As soon as it happened, something changed on Yumei's face, as her body visibly relaxed, and a good natured smile appeared on her face. She turned to address her pupils, her voice no longer stern, instead it was warm, and almost motherly. "Alright everyone, excellent work. That's all for today!" She smiled, pulling out a box of fortune cookies. "Here you go! And remember, the belt promotion ceremony is this weekend, and we'll have a picnic afterwards to celebrate!"

The children cheered, taking some cookies, as parents began coming in to collect their kids.

"Um, what?" The daycare worker asked, confused by the sensei's abrupt change in attitude.

"Well, class is over for today, my part is done," Yumei said simply, putting away the box of cookies, before turning to smirk at him once again. "Have you figured it out yet?"

All at once, the gears clicked in his head. "It's all an act, isn't it?" He mumbled. "Your 'past', it's all just motivation to encourage them?"

"Basically, yes. However, I actually did grow up in a monastery in China. The thing is, though, while it is true the Mao regime committed many atrocities shortly after they rose to power, they had far, far more pressing matters to worry about than our secluded, harmless mountain hideaway. But it still makes for a dramatic story, everyone eats it up, especially my pupils." Yumei explained, waving to a few of the parents.

Haruto sighed. "It's starting to make sense. This isn't just a martial arts dojo, is it?" When the albino's smile widened, he knew he had figured it out. "It's also a daycare in and of itself. Besides self defense, you also secretly teach them discipline and respect. Like with that boy earlier when he fought Annabelle. You tried to teach him humility, in that he should learn from his mistake instead of crying foul when things don't go his way," The daycare employee slapped his forehead with a groan. "I'm starting to feel like an idiot."

Yumei shrugged. "Don't feel too bad. You figured it out quicker than most. When I first started here, the parents were obviously appalled at what I was doing, and they let me know it. Like you initially came here to do." She laughed.

Before the blue haired boy could respond, the sensei pointed behind him, where Annabelle and the unfortunate boy from earlier were talking, and even though Haruto could not hear the conversation, he could tell that the boy was apologizing. Annabelle said something in return, giggling, as they shook hands. After the boy hobbled away, the blonde girl noticed him, running over and waving.

"Uncle!" Annabelle said happily, giving him a hug. "Did you see me fight?"

Haruto smiled as he embraced her gently, before letting go. "Yup, sure did. You looked great."

"Indeed she did. I do think you will be able to get your belt promotion, just make sure to practice a bit more at home before the weekend," Yumei piped up behind them, slinging a bag over her shoulder. "I look forward to seeing you all the ceremony." She nodded at Haruto before heading out with them, locking the doors to the dojo. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm running late for my date. Goodbye."

"Bye sensei!" Annabelle cheered, waving back.

As the two walked around the mall, Haruto noticed Annabelle looking around the mall nervously.

The blue haired boy frowned. "Is something wrong?"

The small blonde turned to him, a serious expression on her face. "I'm trying to find any dirty commie spies, uncle. They're coming for us!" She whispered, whipping her hair around again.

Haruto sighed, but a small smile graced his face nonetheless.

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**1:02 PM**

**North Wing - Underworld Demons**

"The Golden Poison Dart Frog. Scientific name: Phyllobates Terribilis. Conservation status: Endangered. Reasoning: hunting by indigenous peoples for their poison hides," Alice mumbled, jotting down the information. The veterinarian then put on safety gloves, reached into the box and pulled the deadly frog out, observing it.

"Seems to be in good health, and we're lucky it's a female. Should be easier to obtain a male." Alice smiled, lifting it up to look at it in the face. "For something so beautiful and cute, you're quite deadly, aren't you?" She cooed, setting it down into a temperature-regulated tank.

Removing the gloves and brushing the hair from her eyes, the veterinarian went to the back room and saw her younger boss on the phone.

"Yeah, It's goin' great, cous!" the blue-haired boy said enthusiastically, before noticing Alice walk in. "In fact, we just got that killer new frog you sent in!" Emizel hesitated, scratching the back of his head. "This… this is fine, right cous? It's legal, right…?" The boy waited quietly, and Alice could hear a rough, confident voice on the other end. She could only assume it was the infamous Gundham Tanaka that her young boss kept telling her about. "It's… not? I'm not gonna get arrested, right?"

"Arrested?" the blonde asked curiously.

Emizel winced, holding a finger up to his mouth for silence. "Just hold out for the month? Wait, you're coming home?!" The boy had a smile that could light up a dark room. "Yeah, yeah! I'm looking forward to it! Bye!"

After he hung up, the young manager skipped around the room happily. "Yes! Gundham's coming back next month! Yay!" He cheered, before settling down and pointing at Alice. "Then we can finish Operation: Ark!"

The veterinarian blinked, completely lost. "Does this have anything to do with all the dangerous and HIGHLY ILLEGAL endangered animals we've been receiving lately? I think I deserve an explanation."

Emizel nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you and Riku both do. Where is he, anyway? He's three hours late! Ah, it doesn't matter." He sighed dismissively, waving his hand. "Anyways, basically, it's why my cousin Gundham has been out of the country for a while. He's been gathering various foreign endangered animals and shipping them here. Our plan is to create a breeding sanctuary for them, so they won't go extinct. Yes, it's technically illegal to traffick them into the country, but once they're all here, Gundham plans to transport them all to a swath of land he purchased in the mountains, and apply for sanctuary status. Then we win!"

He smiled at Alice nervously. "That's why I really needed you. While Gundham is gone, I needed someone with professional knowledge on how to handle some of the more dangerous creatures. I'm sorry it took so long to tell you, please don't be mad!" He begged, giving her puppy eyes.

The blonde brit couldn't help but giggle. "It's fine. Truth be told, I think your goal is very noble, if a bit risky. But that just makes things more interesting, yes?" She nodded. "Alright, I'm all in!"

Emizel breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, really. Gundham is gonna like you, I can already tell. Hey, why don't you leave a little early today? There's not much else to do, anyways. I'll bust Riku's ass when he gets here."

Alice nodded. "Thank you, that works out quite well, actually. I have a challenge to do..."

"A challenge? Like what?"

The veterinarian pulled out her phone. "Oh, you haven't heard? It's something that females across social media have been doing lately. It was started by a girl named Alto. The gist of it is you stick a cup between your breasts to show off. I decided to do it myself," Alice explained nonchalantly.

Emizel's face wrinkled with slight disgust. "Ugh, girls and their boobs. Why is it that boobs are such a big deal? I don't get it!" He whined, sitting at his desk and opening his laptop.

"Well, Emizel, not all of us want to have a cock shoved into their mouth on a daily basis," She teased as she moved to leave the store, leaving behind a sputtering, red-faced Emizel. "I'll see you tomorrow!" Alice sang as she left.

The veterinarian smiled, finding her favorite smoothie shop in the center of the food court.

Otto noticed her, giving a stiff but polite nod of his head. "The usual?"

Alice nodded. "Please!"

After receiving her smoothie, the young veterinarian exhaled a deep breath as she bashfully lodged the cup between her breasts, snapping a picture.

Deciding it was acceptable, she hesitantly posted it, internally bracing herself for what some people might say. A few likes and comments quickly rolled in.

**PsycoH: Looking good babe!**

Alice blushed, her heart swooning from Hayate's comment. She really needed to invite her boyfriend to her new workplace, she decided. Turning her attention back to her phone, the bun haired girl raised an eyebrow at the next comment.

**Adohira_A: Wait, behind you… is that who I think it is?**

Alice looked and indeed, it seemed a small girl was attempting to unsuccessfully attempt the challenge herself. The poor girl had no bust to speak of.

**DollGirl: Master, I was attempting to show myself off for everyone, as your new girlfriend! It will make you look better!**

**Adohira_A: We agreed to keep that quiet! And don't call me master!**

The blonde Brit chuckled. Social media truly was an interesting place.

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**2:38 PM**

**North Wing - Enoshima's High Fashion**

Maribelle sighed as she looked at the row of dresses before her. While everything that was brought out before her was undeniably beautiful, nothing screamed 'perfect' to her. This was one of the most important moments of her life, and she wanted things to go down as smoothly as possible. It had taken her awhile to ditch her mother long enough to even start dress hunting. It was thanks to her best friend Katalina's quick thinking that Emmeryn had been fooled. The heiress was currently trying hats on, looking at her reflection in the mirror while she did. She had a pink one on her head, similar to her own, and she seemed to like it. The frown on her face told her otherwise. She was about to speak when she felt her phone vibrate. Looking at the screen, she noticed it was her mother on the line. She let out a groan.

"Honestly, can this woman not leave me alone? I understand that this is a very important moment for all of us. However, I do at least want to have a choice in the matter,"

The heiress turned to look back at her friend, giving her a sympathetic smile. "Just give it a few more hours, and she'll be out of your hair for the next few days. My mother is flying in soon, and she'll be more than enough of a distraction," Katalina smirked, turning back to the mirror. "I'm thinking about wearing a blue, pink, and white dress. How does this hat look? Amazing, right?!" She gushed, oblivious to the obvious clashing colors.

"If you want my opinion dear, it would be better not to wear clashing colors. I must admit, the dress does look fabulous on you. You certainly do know how to fill it out," Maribelle replied. Her phone vibrated again, making her grit her teeth. She swiped her finger across the screen, rejecting the call. "I'm going to start sprouting gray hairs soon, I'm only 20! I can't look like an old woman yet!"

"Mari, you look just fine, I promise. From what I have heard, Rowan's mother has been pestering him just as much. Rest assured, everything will be fine. Primrose and Jack have been working day and night to make our secret arrangement perfect…" This time, it was the heiress's phone who buzzed. Katalina fished it out, reading the message with a smile. "In fact, that was our favorite coordinator right now, telling us that the flights to Fiji have been booked. Under pseudonyms, of course. Your mother will never know!" She rested a hand on the bride to be's shoulder. "So just relax, m'kay?"

The duchess breathed a sigh of relief, feeling relaxed for the moment. "I can't thank you enough Kat. You've done so much for me already, you definitely are my best friend in this world. However, we should also focus on finding you the perfect dress! The maid of honor deserves only the best after all!"

Katalina blushed, looking away in embarrassment. "I admit, I'm not the best with fashion, as you know. Especially with colors other than blue and white. But I do want to match you, so I have to incorporate pink somehow!" She huffed. "Who's in charge anyhow? You would think the employees here would be fumbling over themselves to help us!"

"Believe me dear, this is the worst service I've gotten in awhile. We did tell the manager we were looking for a wedding dress. Ugh… workers these days. They don't do anything to help the customers and then complain when they don't get a raise in wages! Perhaps if they did their job they'd be entitled to something" the blonde said with a huff, having gotten annoyed. "Hoo… take a breath Mari, remember your anger management classes,"

"Well, you know what they say. If you want something done right, do it yourself," the hispanic beauty mumbled, furiously going through the dress catalog, raising her eyebrows in annoyance. "For a supposedly high end bridal shop, many of these dresses are rather tacky. I've seen higher quality shit in the slums of Gurrero!" She snarked.

"Tell me about it. Some of these dresses are quite skimpy as well. If I wanted to look like a strumpet while walking down the aisle, I would get married in Amsterdam." Maribelle said, examining a similar catalogue. "How horrid! Look at this one! The stitch work is awful… is this supposed to be tres chic? Because this is certainly not chic at all!"

"Well, if you don't like them, then I think I'll have to ask you skanky hoes to leave," sneered a condescending voice behind the two.

Maribelle and Katalina turned to look at her incredulously. "Excuse me? Who the hell are you?" the heiress glowered angrily.

"I'm Yukiko. The acting manager of this lovely store while m'lady is out," The girl told them flatly. "And as I said, I'm politely going to have to ask you to leave, before I call security," Yukiko looked the two over, her face wrinkling in disgust. "We don't need our patrons seeing a border hopping illegal and a wannabe princess dirtying our store."

Maribelle grinded her teeth so hard she swore one of them broke. Her hand shook as she slowly reached for her parasol. "How dare you? You uncouth, uncultured swine! You dare insult me and my friend with your racist dribble? Why I ought to bash you over the head for such insolence!"

Katalina felt herself about to snap as well, before an idea popped into her head. She buried a small smile, giving a mocking bow to the rude manager. "Apologies. We had no intention of causing a scene. My friend and I shall take our leave," upon seeing Maribelle give her a furious look, she shook her head. "Play along." the heiress whispered quietly, grabbing her arm and guiding her to the exit.

"Y-yes… as my friend has said… we shall take our leave of this establishment. I offer my sincerest apologies," Maribelle replied, giving the employee a bow. "Let us go Kat, we've got a lot of things to do today."

As the two exited the store, the heiress quietly glided over to a nearby bench, taking a seat and whipping out her phone, furiously typing on it. "I usually hate taking advantage of my family's wealth, but this is an exception." She muttered to herself.

"Do you seriously intend on doing what I think you are doing?" the bride to be asked. When Kat nodded, she let out a giggle. "Honestly dear, I believe this is a huge waste of money. At least try not to spend over a million."

Katalina let out a snort. "Spending a million dollars in my family, is the equivalent of buying a happy meal at McDonald's. This is nothing, Mari. It will be worth it just to see the look on that putas face." She sneered, dialing a number and lifting her phone to her ear. "Big sis? Hey! It's me. Can I borrow a quarter of your allowance for the week? Please? Fine, fine," she grumbled, rolling her eyes. "I'll give you that ruby necklace mother got me last month, for the money. We have a deal?" Katalina's eyes lit up with a smirk. "Great. Love you too sis! Bye!" The heiress hung up triumphantly, once again going back to tapping on her phone. "Joke's on sis, I don't even like rubies." She said, before dramatically tapping one last time on her phone. "And there. Done. Let's head back to the store, Mari!" Katalina giggled.

"If you say so. I'm rather excited now," the blonde said, hooking her arm around Katalina's, a smirk on her face. "Let's see that puta's face, I shall treasure it for all eternity!"

The two marched back to the store, Katalina pausing in front of the glass door, dramatically kicking it open with her heels, cracking the glass. The two waltzed inside, the heiress pointing at the first employee she saw. "You! Get my friend and I a nice cup of tea. And make sure it's some of that good shit, the most expensive you can find!"

The employee stared at her fearfully, but before he could respond, Yukiko appeared once again, her face contorted in rage. "Excuse me, I believe I asked you two to leave? I'm calling security!" She screeched.

The heiress fanned her face, sighing. "Dear, you scream like a banshee, and that mouth of yours is so wide, my friend Arabelle could fit inside of it. If you're going to work for us, I suggest you learn to smile."

"I beg your pardon?" The manager faltered.

"Oh, just give it a second…" the heiress pulled out her phone, pressing another button, before putting it back into her purse with a smile. "In 3, 2, 1…"

Right on cue, the store's phone began to ring. Everyone in the store watching the exchange stared at it quietly, unmoving.

"You should probably answer that," Katalina said casually.

Yukiko quickly answered the phone. "Hello?" She asked quietly. "The bank? How can I help you-" The managers eyes widened more and more with each passing second, her grip on the phone slackening. Eventually, she simply put the phone down, staring off into space. She then felt the presence of the heiress and the duchess.

Katalina gave her a large, shit eating grin. "This illegal border hopper OWNS you now, bitch. Now get to work, or get out of our store."

Slowly, Yukiko gave a shell shocked nod, beginning to walk off without a sound. the heiress then turned to the store's employees, glaring at them. "What are you all looking at?"

Maribelle smirked as she rested her parasol on her shoulder. All of the customers still in the store were looking at the pair curiously. She turned to the nearest employee, glaring deep into his soul. "Evacuate the store, pull out all the dresses," she paused, turning to Yukiko, the biggest grin on her face. "And get my friend and I our tea,"

Hardly an hour later, the two were seated at a hastily brought out table, sipping tea. Maribelle had ordered the employees to bring out trash bags, and the two had enjoyed mocking many dresses before ordering them to be thrown out. Now they had begun to get bored, with Katalina listening to music, and Maribelle shifting through her Instagram feed.

"What the devil… Kat, have you checked out your Instagram? There's some new fad going on. The Tapioca Challenge, do you know what it is?" she asked, causing her friend to look up from her phone.

Katalina gave a soft hum in reply, taking out her earbuds. "Oh, that. Yeah, I heard Komori bragging about it yesterday. Apparently, you stick a cup of some sort between your breasts and hold it up long enough for a photo. It's basically a way for us women to show off our breast sizes and brag online." She waved her hand with a small smirk. "Of course, I would have no problem with this challenge." The Heiress boasted proudly.

Maribelle glanced down at her tea for a moment, a smile appearing on her face. She leaned back slightly, unbuttoning part of her shirt, revealing quite a bit of her cleavage. She met eyes with an employee, who visibly paled. "You there, I require your assistance. I need you to take a picture of me and my friend here."

"Oh, so you do wanna do this! Just make sure to tag me in your post!" The hispanic beauty smiled. "Well, I'm game, if you are Mari. Just don't come crying to me when everyone begins talking about how big mine are compared to yours!" Katalina teased, picking up her coffee cup.

"Of course I'll tag you in my post. I wouldn't dare leave my best friend out of this." the woman said, giggling. "I'm certain Rowan is going to enjoy seeing this one. He is rather fond of my breasts." she said, grabbing a hold of her tea cup. She carefully placed it on her breasts, pushing her chest outward. "Is this how it's done?"

"Yes, perfect! You look like a queen Mari!" The Heiress gushed, placing her cup in the same position. "Alright, ready!" She announced, deciding to take a sip from her cup as part of the picture.

The employee took the picture, handing Maribelle her phone back. She looked it over, a smile on her face. "It's perfect! Let me just add a caption… and done. You've been tagged in it dear, have a look."

Katalina pulled out her phone, quickly pulling the post up and liking it. "And there! Ah, look at these two beautiful besties. Oh, we have comments already!"

**HostofHearts: Both of you ladies look beautiful!**

**AvalonsHeir: Ahhhh I'm so lucky! Love you Mari!**

**SansonPrimrose: Don't you two have better things to be doing? Like preparing for the wedding? I'm doing all the work here!**

"Oops. Guess Prim kinda has a point…" The blue eyed beauty laughed nervously. "Eh, she can wait another day. It's nice to just kinda kick back."

"Indeed, it's been a long time since I've had fun." Maribelle said, a smile on her face. She turned to her friend, taking a hold of Kat's hand. "Katalina dear, I know this wedding is stressful and this might be last minute. But, how would you like to be my Maid of Honor?"

The Heiress's face widened in surprise, visible emotion overcoming her as her eyes began to tear up. She turned her face away. "I… I would love to have the honor, truly. I can't promise I'll be all that fun, but I'll do my best, Mari. You're like a sister to me, I hope you know that."

"I do know that. In fact, I'm going to give you a gift. My family owns a large plot of land in Novoselic. I'll write up a deed and let you have it, so you can start a family away from your folks. We all need separation from our relatives." She said, grinning. "Hmm… Katalina Loera, Duchess of Novoselic… I like the sound of that!"

Katalina blushed, raising her fan to the side of her face to hide her embarrassment. "I, um, don't know what to say, Mari…" The Heiress simply elected to wrap her friend into a tight, emotional hug.

"You don't have to say anything dear, you've done a lot for me. So this is just me returning the favor! However, if I don't see kids within the next five years, I'm going to revoke your title." she said, glaring at the girl. "So get on it."

The blue eyed beauty gave her a lopsided grin. "I'll do my best. But just remember not all of us can be as busy as you and Rowan!" She teased. Before the Duchess could respond, Katalina turned to the nearest employee. "You! Dim the lights, and put on some disco music! My friend and I wanna celebrate! Move your asses!" She ordered, as the fearful employee scurried away. She turned back to the parasol wielding girl with a smirk, pulling several stacks of cash out of her purse. "I feel like partying. How about you?"

"Indeed! We must celebrate, both my nuptials and your new title." the blonde said with a smirk.

* * *

**4:42 PM**

**South Wing - Barnes and Noble/Starbucks**

Shiro sighed, resting his head against his hand as he scrolled through Instagram, scowling as he saw people attempting the latest internet craze: the Tapioca Challenge.

The Instagram star was no stranger to these odd viral sensations, and had always taken part in them with enthusiasm to appease his followers. However, this one presented him with an unfortunate challenge: the fact that Shiro was indeed not a female, much less possessing any assets needed to take part.

"Seriously, just how BIG are their boobs? Alice and that Mexican brat are massive. And the wannabe queen is no slouch either." Shiro mumbled.

Sitting across from the trap, Eline and Liam both watched him awkwardly as they drank their coffees.

"Well Shiro, most of the girls around this mall tend to be blessed in that department," said Eline, who was dressed in a nice summertime dress. "I mean I used to envy them, but the pair I have now are big enough for me. Means I don't have to deal with any back pains."

Liam took another sip of his latte as he blushed at the talk of breasts. The boy was dressed in a bright pink sailor scout outfit, fitted onto him by Shiro.

"It's always strange what trends on the internet nowadays…" He said quietly.

"Who cares? The internet does stuff, and I follow suit. And this is the weirdest thing you've seen on the internet? Hoo boy. Why don't you go home and type in Rule 34?" The trap snapped. "If I don't do this, I might lose followers! That's unacceptable!"

A groan escaped Daisuke's lips as he glanced over his shoulder at the nearby table. A few others were looking in that direction as well. He had been hoping for some peace and quiet, especially after cleaning several spilled Bubble Teas due to the challenge going on. Of course, he had to go on break at the precise moment someone he knew was talking about it. He grabbed a hold of his food, making his way towards the table.

"Shiro, aren't you being a bit too loud?" he asked, grabbing the trap's attention. "I know Instagram means a lot to you, but remember this is a bookstore. People come here to read, not to hear screaming,"

"You mean old people and hopeless nerds like you come here," the trap retorted, a small smile on his face. "You saw me here a few months ago, I gave you just a tiny bit of attention, and you were all over me, just because I was the first 'girl' that came along," Shiro laughed, slamming a hand down on the table as he wiped a tear from his eye. "Still out looking for love, Mr. Hopeless?"

"So this is Daisuke?" Eline asked, locking onto the storyteller with a cold stare. "I hear you ditched Shiro here because you found out he had a surprise hidden under his skirt? I find that very transphobic, are you saying trans girls aren't women?!"

"What the fuck? No! That's not why-" he paused, running a hand through his hair. "Look, I am not transphobic. I think Shiro is a very cute-ugh… look. I was confused and hurting after my last break up. Shiro wasn't what I was looking for. It wasn't because she was a he, got it?" the man replied, clearly flustered.

Eline stared at him for a few more moments, before a smile cracked on her face and she giggled heartily. "Oh relax, I'm just messing with you. There's nothing wrong with having a preference for one set of equipment over the other. You like what you like, and I say that as a trans girl myself."

"Oh, Jesus Christ… why is it that all of your friends like busting my balls Shiro? It's becoming annoying," the man said with a sigh. "Seriously, just try to keep it down. I just got this job and I'm not looking forward to losing it so soon,"

"I'm sure we can, Daisuke. We wouldn't want you to get in trouble." Liam added.

Shiro smirked. "Fine, we'll be quiet. But in return, you have to help me make the most sexy tapioca selfie on the internet. I wanna be trending!" He squealed.

"You have got to be shitting me," Daisuke mumbled under his breath. "Okay fine… I'll help you with this tapioca thing, just as long as you get the hell out of my store. What do we have to do?"

Eline rubbed her chin, deep in thought. "Well before I got my implants, I used to stuff my shirt. Do you have anything Shiro can used to make his girls say 'hello world'?"

"I don't have anything in particular I'm afraid. I don't carry things to make fake boobs when I go to work." he deadpanned.

Liam placed his coffee down. "Shiro, I remember when you were dressing me up you used to get me to stuff my bust with your old t-shirts. I could give you mine if you like…"

"Yes, yes! That will work!" The trap cheered, his enthusiasm now unstoppable. "I. Will. Do. This. Dias, gimme yo shirt boy, NOW!"

"What the fuck? Hell no! I'm not giving you my shirt!" the man cried out, eyes widening in surprise. "I'm on the clock, I am not taking my shirt off here. I could lose my job!"

"Fine, fine. That's fair!" Shiro said neutrally, before a shit eating grin appeared on her face. "But just remember… it would be a SHAME if that new girl toy of yours found out about how you hooked up with a guy…" He said innocently.

"Shiro, don't you think that's going a little too far?" Eline asked with some reservation in her voice.

"There's no such thing as too far!" The Instagram Star laughed. "It's why I'm living the dream and you all are stuck in dead end jobs. Don't tell me such silly things!"

"You… you are just an Instagram thot!" Daisuke snapped, grabbing a hold of Shiro's shirt, pulling him closer to his face, glaring into his eyes. "If you even think about saying anything to Charlotte, I will end you." he hissed.

"Come on guys, let's not get violent." Liaim said, trying to calm down the situation.

Shiro was far from intimidated, instead bursting out into laughter. "You can call me whatever you want, Dias, but this thot makes more in a month than you do in a year." He responded smugly. "And you holding me so close… this brings back memories! Are ya gonna kiss me again? You really got into it the first time we locked lips!" He giggled, pecking Diasuke on the lips flirtatiously. "It's not too late to try and win me back, y'know!"

"You little-"

"Daisuke?"

The man's eyes widened in surprise, his head slowly rising up as he saw Charlotte, standing a few feet from them. He pushed Shiro back, a look of surprise and embarrassment on his face. "H-hey Charlotte… how… how are you doing?"

She swiftly turned around, walking away from them. Daisuke reached a hand out, trying to call out to her, but the words got stuck in his throat. He grit his teeth, facing the trap. "I am going to murder you."

Shiro smirked. "Oh, this is just too great! Hey, think we can call her back? I don't mind sharing! Threesomes are all the rage these days anyways! Hey, wanna do a webcam Dais? We could make some good money!" The trap cackled, tears leaking from his eyes as he doubled over.

"No! I don't wanna do webcams or any of that shit! Because of you, Charlotte thinks I'm cheating on her or worse. Now I've gotta explain this shit to her. Shiro come on, I like this girl a lot and now…" the man sighed, not knowing what to say. "Whatever… let's just get this damn picture over with so you can leave my goddamned store."

Eline looked sympathetically at the storyteller. "Daisuke I'm really sorry about this." She glared at Shiro "Dude, not cool."

"Hey, how is this my fault? If Dais had just been a good friend, none of this would have happened!" Shiro pouted. Upon seeing nobody was on his side, the trap rolled his eyes. "Fineeee. Dais, help me with this picture real fast, and I'll tell your new side hoe what was going on."

"Don't make me fucking slap you. When you are around me, you'll call her by name, and that name is Charlotte. You call her anything else, and I will walk away. Even though things ended roughly between us, I consider you a friend, don't make me regret that." the man said firmly. "Now, what the hell do I have to do?"

Shiro paused, not expecting that. What was this feeling in his chest? Was it… could it be… guilt? No, such a word did not exist in Shiro's vocabulary. He forced down the feeling and shook his head. "Yeah, yeah. Ok." The Instagram Star attempted to say nonchalantly. "Just… help me pad my chest with your shirt, make it look like I have big boobies. It's not that hard."

"Fine… at this rate I've probably lost the shot at becoming manager anyway." Daisuke said, taking off his shirt. He revealed his toned, muscular chest to them, as he balled up and tossed his shirt at the boy. "Well… there you go."

Eline's eyes widened. "My word! For a man who works in a cafe, you certainly take care of yourself."

"Yeah, he's hot. Something straight out of a gay porno. He'd make a killing as a stripper, but alas." The trap sighed.

"Alright, stop staring at me like I'm a piece of meat on a grill." the man said, glancing at Shiro. "What am I supposed to do with this shirt? Stuff it into yours? You know that won't make your boobs look big, it'll make them look lopsided."

Before Shiro could respond, the group heard a small squeak behind them, noticing the young red eyed manager of Underworld Demons.

Emizel eyed Daisuke, stunned into silence, before quickly taking out his phone and snapping a picture. Blood began leaking out of his nose, the blue haired boy's eyes widening as he noticed them staring at him. The small boy then bolted out the door just as quickly as he came.

Shiro burst out laughing. "Looks like you're gonna have a fan club soon Dais!"

"Wasn't that Emizel? I hope his boyfriend doesnt start to get jealous..." Liam mused.

"Carajo… Porque demonios me pasa esto a mi?" Daisuke mumbled under his breath. "I better get a raise for dealing with all this shit. I'm probably gonna have to find that kid and get him to delete that."

"Well, anyways, back on topic… who cares if the things are lopsided? It's gonna be a close up, as long as it holds this damn cup up, I don't care what it looks like!" Shiro explained, exasperated.

"Okay fine, but I want this picture to be perfect. Because I know you'll start bitching about it, and then Mackenzie will call me at 3am and I don't need that." the man said, carefully folding the shirt. He stuffed it in Shiro's outfit, moving it around for a moment. A few girls walked by them, questioning looks on their faces. "What? You ever seen a man turn his shirt into tits?"

"Well that's a sentence I never thought I would hear..." Eline mumbled.

"Yeah, fuck off hoes!" Shiro growled, stuffing the shirt down and began padding himself. Once he was finished, he giggled, looking up at the others proudly. "So? How do I look?"

"You kind of remind me of myself when I first started transitioning. Though I was far cuter!" Eline answered with a cheeky smile.

The Instagram Star didn't even bother looking at Eline, simply electing to flip her the bird. "I was asking Dais, not you clowns!" He snapped. "I know Dais will give it to me straight… in more ways than one!"

"Fuck you." he deadpanned, ignoring Shiro's giggle. "You look fine, just hurry it up. The AC is cranked in here and I don't want my nips to pucker."

"So hot" Shiro muttered under his breath, before shaking his head and pulling out his phone. "Alright, let's do this! SELFIE!" The trap squealed, snapping several pictures. "Yeah, these will do! See, was that so hard? This whole process was quick and painless, right?"

"For your sake, I hope this is the first and last time you ask me to do this shit. I cannot stress this enough." Daisuke said, sighing. "Now come on, get out of my store."

"You're store?" a firm voice said, causing the man to jump. He turned around, meeting the eyes of the store manager. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Mr. Del Rio, I brought you on board to read to the kids, and for you to take care of our customers. Not for you to do… whatever this is. And here I thought you wanted to become a manager."

"I do! I do want to become a manager. I love this job, you know I want to be a professional writer!"

"Yes, I understand. But you cannot be this indecent inside the store… I'm afraid I'm going to have to let you go. Come to the front to collect your final paycheck." the woman said, turning around and leaving. Daisuke sighed, slowly sitting in his seat. He slammed his forehead against the table, rattling the silverware.

"Porque!" he screamed, voice echoing through the store.

Eline looked awkwardly from side to side before patting him on the shoulder. "Its okay Daisuke, your too good for this place anyway." She looked at Liam. "Come on, lets get him a real drink. Something a bit stronger than tea."

Liam nodded before taking a hold of his arm and they both lead him out of the cafe, leaving Shiro on his own.

Shiro pretended to be oblivious, watching his phone blow up from his new post.

**NekoBoy69: Shiro, You're my dream girl!**

**ShiroFan#1: So hawt.**

'Hm, maybe I should toy with Riku some more, that could be fun!' The trap considered, before sighing. As successful as this recent endeavor had been, he had to admit he screwed over Dais and went too far. Shiro knew he owed him at least enough to help him get a new job. Then a lightbulb went off in the Instagram Star's head.

"That's right, Dais's new side hoe- no, Charlotte, works at that aquarium, right?" Shiro mused, looking down amused, at the shirtless picture of Dais Emizel had posted on his Instagram. "Hm, I guess I should talk to the manager, this could be a win-win for everyone…"

* * *

**6:17 PM**

**South Wing - Dunkin' Donuts**

Junko Enoshima, the nationwide famous model and drama queen, giggled as she peeled down her top very slowly, sticking a large cup of latte between her breasts.

"And done!" She squealed, snapping a selfie. She heard murmurs around her in the coffee shop, as several people were ogling at her with perverted smirks on their faces. Junko turned to the booth behind her, an 8 year old with large eyes eyeing her up.

"What? Never seen tits before kid?" The strawberry blonde smirked as she jiggled her breasts. The kid's nose began to bleed, as his mother quickly picked him up, shooting Junko a furious glare as they left the shop.

Amused, the model sipped her drink as she opened Instagram, posting photo under the trending #tapiocachallenge. As quickly as she posted it, likes began flooding in, along with many perverted and questionable comments.

Junko then began boredly looking through her feed, at all the other people who were attempting the challenge. The strawberry blonde snorted, nearly spitting out her drink as she came across one. She furiously began typing a reply.

**"Oh Shiro honey, you're not fooling anyone! We all know that dick of yours has more girth than those fake boobs!"**

Oh, she could only imagine the shitstorm and drama that would erupt from her comment.

"Junko! We have a problem!" Wailed a familiar, female voice.

The strawberry blonde raised an eyebrow as Yukiko, who ran up to her out of breath, panting from exhaustion.

"And why are you not watching the store? God, you can't even do one simple task! Why am I even paying you at all?" She snapped, going back to her phone.

Yukiko rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Because you're not my boss anymore, maybe?"

Junko paused, blinking. "What?"

Her hired help nodded slowly. "Please don't be mad, but… well, I kicked two girls out of the store, and then they turned around and bought it."

"Again, what?"

"Apparently they're rich. They were looking at wedding dresses."

Junko stared at Yukiko.

Yukiko stared back fearfully.

Without uttering even a single word, the strawberry blonde closed Instagram, and proceeded to open an app linked to the security cameras in the store. The scene she saw was one that was certainly interesting. Loud disco music was playing, and the lights were dimmed. A well dressed girl in pink with a parasol was on top of a table, lying in a sea of pure cash and many of the more expensive dresses in the store, making snow angels with them. An equally well dressed hispanic girl in blue was dancing, fat stacks of cash in her hands as she made it rain on her friend in pink. Her exasperated employees… well, former employees, were running around, picking up and pulling out dresses for the girls to try on.

After watching this interesting exchange for a few minutes, the model very, very slowly picked up her pumpkin spice latte, took off the lid, and threw the hot liquid directly at Yukiko.

"Just… just what the ACTUAL FUCK were you thinking?!" Junko screamed, pulling at her hair in a rage of fury. "It's obvious to anyone with HALF A BRAIN that they could buy this whole damn mall if they really wanted to! Seriously Yukiko, what the fuck! Even my dumbass sister knows better than that!"

"But, Junko! They were badmouthing your dresses! I couldn't let that slide!" The unfortunate girl wailed.

The strawberry blonde took several calming breaths, closing her eyes, before opening them again, a bright smile on her face. "Well, it's fine! They're actually right, most of the dresses are absolute garbage. Not gonna lie, I kinda respect them for pointing it out." Junko raised a finger in thought. "Hm, they might actually make for some worthy adversaries. This could be fun!" She squealed, her personality doing a complete 180.

Yukiko was not even surprised. Despite the scalding coffee that was thrown on her, she smiled. "I thought you might say that! And I know how you can get back at them!"

"Oh?"

The former manager nodded enthusiastically, eager to please. "I overheard the two of them talking, they're not exactly subtle. Turns out the girl in pink is some big shot duchess from Novoselic, who's getting hitched in Fiji soon. I figured you could crash their wedding, I'd be perfect!"

The model gave a wicked smirk in return. "Yes, yes! My new master plan is coming together! I shall get my revenge by crashing their precious wedding!" She giggled, rising from her seat and exiting the shop, Yukiko hot on her heels. "I can go undercover again!"

The strawberry blonde's lackey gasped. "Like that time you used a fake identity to sneak backstage to Sayaka Maizono's concert, to take pictures of her screwing that Naegi boy and your sister? Oh, you're gonna be Ryoko Otonashi again! I loved the red hair!"

Junko smirked at the memory, before it turned into a frown as she shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I have a new personality in the works, one I have been waiting to try for a long time!" The model raised a hand into the air dramatically. "Akeno Shujinmo shall take the scene! Watch out world, she's gonna crash the wedding of the century!"


	9. Chapter 8: BDSM, Violins, and Fishies

**JCW's AN: Welp, its a long time coming, but here we are. many of us have been busy with many other things, so we apologize, and hope you enjoy this chapter. But first, a note from Bella!**

**Bella's AN: Let it be known that everything Tiana says in this chapter is everything I actually researched because a certain series that somehow got three movies got me very curious. So… if anyone ever tries BDSM in the future, I hope this chapter helps you. Safewords, consent, and condoms are key! Also, Fee, this isn't the thing I talked to you about. That'll be coming soon, though. ;)**

* * *

**Chapter 8: BDSM, Violins, and Fishies**

**11:03 AM**

**West Wing – Zone d'Erotica**

Tiana stared at the small group of young men and women sitting in seats before her, still in awe of what she had accomplished. She had somehow crammed all four of them into the breakroom of her store, along with herself, Alexander, Ariana, and a whiteboard. The dominatrix let out a small sigh. "Alright, so I believe many of you are wondering why I asked you to come here."

"Ara ara, is this going to take long?" Komori inquired, wrapping the small purple-haired girl next to her in a side hug. "Rina-chan and I ordered several yaoi and yuri mangas that we have to read." Marina nodded.

"And I need to get back to my shift," Axel added. Patrick remained silent, staring intently at the front of the room.

Tiana held her hands up in defense. "I have asked you all here because it's come to my attention that several of you started coming here because you've read Touko Fukawa's horribly written, God-awful piece of shit works about BDSM!" Everyone stared at Tiana with wide eyes, shocked at the outburst.

Alexander stepped over to the now angry girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Tia, are you okay?"

Tiana drew in a deep breath before sighing and letting her shoulders slump. "I'm good. I'm good. I just… I hate her works so much." She turned her attention back to the crowd. "Anyways, since you all started coming to this store for misinformed BDSM sex, I am now giving you all lessons on the practice. This my way of saying either get educated on it or stop buying handcuffs and calling yourself a Dom!" Tiana took another deep breath. "Calm yourself, Tia. You can't do a scene when you're emotional." She glanced over at the young woman standing in the corner. "Ariana, could you come over here please?"

Ariana nodded, a cocky smirk on her lips. "Sure thing, Tia." The blonde cocked an eyebrow, placing a hand on her hip. The action struck fear into the black-haired girl. "I mean, yes, M-Mistress." Tiana nodded as she motioned for the woman to approach them. Ariana scurried over to her, taking Alexander's place by her side.

"Oh my, is Alexander going to be dominating Ariana?!" Komori squealed.

"Sweet smut," Marina gasped.

Tiana shook her head, gently placing her hands on Ari's shoulders. "Nope, I'll be taking care of Ariana today." She smiled at her employee. "You can go back out front, Alex. I'll be fine from here."

"Just text me if you need anything," Alexander responded, taking his leave from the lesson.

"But Fukawa's writings only ever have a guy as the Dom!" Komori argued. Tiana fought back a litany of cuss words at the author. "And Alexander is the perfect man to take Ariana by the shoulders and do her until she's drooling. Although, Tiana being a Dom would lead to such great, great yuri." Komori began to drool at the thought.

Tiana rolled her eyes. "First, Komori, a lot of the scenes that see in those yaoi and yuri mangas are very inaccurate about the basics of sex." The dominatrix breathed a deep sigh. "Second, Fukawa is highly misinformed on who can and cannot be a Dom. Anyone can be a Dom, and anyone can be a Sub. For instance, Alexander isn't into BDSM at all, despite being the ideal type for one of Fukawa's trashy novels." Tiana gestured at herself. "I am Dom through and through." She then gave Ariana's head a soft pat as she gently lowered Ari onto her knees. "Ari, on the other hand, is a Switch. This means that some days she doms while other days, she subs."

"And today is a Dom day, but I owe Tiana a favor," Ariana interjected. Tiana cocked her eyebrow again, making Ariana shut her mouth.

Tiana carded a hand through Ariana's hair. She chuckled when the smaller woman pushed herself against her hand. "So needy," she teased. Tiana smiled back at the group. "Now, Ariana, like any other person in BDSM, has hard stops. For instance, she doesn't like voyeurism, regardless of the day, so we won't be doing much in front of you all."

"What's a hard stop?" Patrick inquired, a pencil in his hands.

Tiana paused and stared at the hockey player incredulously. "Patrick, are you taking notes?"

"I almost sent Otto to the hospital the last time we tried this, so I want to make sure I do everything right next time," Patrick argued.

Tiana nodded, giving the larger man a thankful smile. "Well, to answer your question, a hard stop is something that either the Dom or Sub will not do. If the other tries to make it happen during a scene, then a safe word will be dropped. If I were to do anything extreme to Ariana in front of you guys, she would safe word out."

Komori cocked her head to the side. "What is a safe word, and why would someone use it if they agreed to a scene?" She let out a content sigh. "In all of Fukawa's books, the Dom just does what he wants to the Sub, and she takes it."

"And that is a good example of what not to do!" Tiana exclaimed. She paused for a moment before continuing, far calmer. "A safe word is an agreed-upon word that either the Dom or the Sub can use if a scene is becoming overwhelming for them, and it's used for that very reason. BDSM is all about trust, pleasure, and care between the Dom and the Sub. If the Dom or the Sub start becoming uncomfortable in a way that takes away from the pleasure, then the safe word lets the other party know that something is wrong and the scene needs to stop." Tiana very gently began wrapping a silk tie around Liam's wrists.

"Wait a minute," Axel interrupted, raising his hand. "I thought only Subs used the safe word. Doms can use it too?"

Tiana smiled. "Thank you, Axel! Another good question that's clarifying a common misconception and not debunking a shit writer!" The dominatrix clasped her hands together. "While Subs do typically use a safe word, Doms can use it too. The best example I can think of is this: I have some days where my depression really hits me hard and the scenes I'm doing aren't helping. If anything, they're making my mental state worse. I'm no longer getting pleasure from the scene, and so I use the safe word on those days."

Marina raised her tiny hand. "What if the Sub has a gag in?"

Tiana tightened the ropes around Ariana's wrists, earning a whimper from the young woman. She paused. "Are you okay, Ari?" Ariana nodded. "Words, Hun."

"I'm fine, Tia," Ariana muttered. "Answer, Mari's question."

"Is that how we ask for things?" Tiana teased. Ariana rolled her eyes while the Dom turned her attention back to the group. "To answer your question, Marina, if the Sub is wearing a gag, they will typically either have an action or some sort of non-verbal signal. One client I had would drop a bell I placed in her hands if she needed a scene to stop." Marina nodded. The session was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Tia, I dropped Annabelle off at her karate lesson," Haruto stated. The onlookers' eyes widened, but Tiana seemed to become ecstatic. "Alex said you were doing a lesson, but I brought you something." Tiana bounded over to the door and threw it open. Sure enough, Haruto was standing in the doorway, a strawberry smoothie in hand.

Tiana gasped, her smile growing. "Haru, you sweetheart! Thank you so much!" She pecked his lips before grabbing the smoothie from his hand and walking back into the room. "Make yourself at home, Hun."

"Ara, why isn't Tiana freaking out about Haruto being here?" Komori inquired. "This is usually the part where the boyfriend freaks out that his girlfriend is doing this behind his back."

"Plus, and I don't mean to offend you by saying this Haru, you don't seem like the kind of person who's into this sort of thing," Axel added.

Tiana chuckled. "Even if Haruto doesn't like the whole bondage part of BDSM, he's a sucker for helping me with the aftercare." The man in question blushed as he shut the door to the breakroom behind him. Tiana took a quick sip of her smoothie before setting it down. "Besides, he knows that my sessions aren't sexual. I don't touch my clients in that way, and they aren't allowed to touch me in that way."

Haruto smiled. "Even if they were sexual, I'm the one Tiana comes home to at the end of the day."

Tiana snickered, sauntering back over to the daycare worker and wrapping her arms around his neck. "What can I say? I love a man who's so caring." She pressed a kiss against his lips. Ariana snapped her fingers twice, catching the Dom's attention. Tiana turned her gaze back to the crowd of onlookers. "I think that's all I have for today's lesson. Come back tomorrow if you want to learn about the proper dildo to use during a scene. I won't be having Ariana here, but it should still be informative."

As everyone filed out of the room, Marina whispered to Komori, "We're coming back tomorrow." Komori flushed red, sputtering at the implications of Marina's comment. Axel was just confused as to what he just sat through. Patrick, on the other hand, was texting Otto everything that he had learned during the session.

Once the door was shut and Tiana made sure it was locked, the blonde turned her attention back to Ariana, her confident expression now gone. She rushed over to Ariana and quickly undid the ropes. "Holy shit, Ari, are you okay?"

"What's wrong?" Haruto inquired.

"I used my non-verbal safeword," Ariana explained, rubbing at her wrists. She looked up at Tiana. "I'm fine, though. Don't worry. I just was starting to feel really fucking uncomfortable being tied up in front of strangers."

Tiana bit her lip. "I'm so, so sorry, Ari."

"Tia, you're fine," Ariana asserted. "Just don't make me do that again."

Tiana nodded. "I swear. Thank you for helping out, Ari. You can go." Ariana looked between Tiana and Haruto before smirking.

"You two use protection," Ariana teased. She then ran out of the breakroom, leaving behind a blushing Haruto and Tiana.

* * *

**Location: Ibuki's Music Empire, West Wing**

**Time: 3:00 PM**

Rei Makoto sighed audibly. She had been standing at the same shelf for the last 15 minutes, wondering why things were so expensive. The shelf in question contained a very beautiful violin. Whenever she was in the west wing of the mall, she would take time to come into the music store. She would 'pretend' to be interested, but she had come just to see that violin. It was an expensive piece as well, made out of the finest mahogany in the world. The strings were perfectly tuned, ready to be played by the most classical professionals. The bow that accompanied it was made out of the richest ivory.

She wanted that violin. She needed that violin. Alas, the 4,000 dollar price tag was quite hefty for her. She did have a job playing classical music at one of the fanciest restaurants in the mall, but she didn't make nearly enough money to afford it. Whenever she was nearing her goal of 4,000 dollars, something came up. She ended up getting into an accident with some idiot who didn't know jack about driving, causing her to have to use her money for a new car. Then she had to pay insurance and liability fees, leaving her in debt.

Another sigh left her lips, as she tore her gaze away from the object of her affections. She was sure someone was going to ask her if she was going to purchase something. She had a nasty run in with a saxophonist who ended up insulting her for just blocking the saxophones from view. Saying something about "Staining their beauty with her lecherous gaze" or something. She hadn't felt that insulted in ages. She smiled one last time at the instrument.

"Farewell, my friend. One of these days, you'll come home with me."

She turned around, running into one of the employees of the store. Despite her spending most of her time in this store, she hadn't bothered to learn his name. He was just a faceless man to her. However today, she had her focus completely on him. Especially because of what he was doing. He reached for the violin, her violin. He plucked it off the shelf with ease, placing it into its accompanying case. The bow went with it, the snaps closed tightly. He grabbed the handle and started walking toward the counter.

"Um… excuse me sir, what are you doing with that instrument?" Rei asked, in a rather demanding tone. The employee just looked at her, tilting his head slightly.

"The boss won't be back from tour for a while, and she likes holding raffles from time to time. This one is being raffled off to a lucky winner in the mall. We're selling tickets if you are interested."

"Raffle? Tickets?!" the girl exclaimed, her ponytail shaking in anger. "You… you can't just raffle that beautiful instrument off to some random thug! That violin was made for me! It's supposed to be played by me! You will put it back on the shelf and pick something else this instant!"

"Excuse me? Who the hell died and made you the manager?" he snapped, causing the girl to reel back from the volume. "If you aren't going to buy anything then please, see yourself out!"

Rei said nothing as she bowed her head, leaving the store. She spared one last glance at the empty shelf, where her precious violin once sat. She vowed in that moment, that she needed to win that raffle, by any means necessary.

xxx

"So that's why you need me?" Nico asked, earning a furious nod from Rei. The two girls were outside of Smoothie Queen, one of the competing smoothie chains within the mall, and loathed entirely by Otto. The silver-haired girl was sitting back in her seat, taking slow sips of her milkshake, watching her friend walking around in circles. "You know I'm not that good at raffles. I'm more of a guessing game type of girl."

"No! That's the thing, you are good at raffles. Just last month you won that digital camera by guessing 3 of the numbers on the winning ticket. And last week, you guessed how many jelly beans were in that jar. Nico you are my only hope! If you don't buy those tickets, I won't be able to get that violin!" the ravenette said, a pleading look on her face.

Nico frowned, looking down at her feet. While she did want to help her friend out, she didn't think she was capable of winning this one. Sure, she was good at guessing, and running calculations and things with probability in her mind. But just because she won twice didn't mean she would win a 3rd time. If anything, her luck had run out. After a moment, she glanced back up at her friend, a look of curiosity on her face.

"Well… did you buy any tickets? I can't exactly help you if I don't have any of them."

"No. I pretty much left when the violin was placed in its case, I couldn't handle seeing it like that. It was made to be played! Not raffled off to some random person, what the hell is Ibuki thinking?"

The silver-haired girl shook her head, crossing her arms. "This puts us in a bind then. Alright, let's go buy those tickets,"

Before either girl could say anything, the sound of a siren filled the mall. The two shared a look, shifting their gaze towards on the Mall's LED Televisions. The noise was coming from the speakers, a crimson red alarm having appeared on screen. The screen went white for a moment, being replaced by a young man, who sat back in an expensive spinning chair. He also had a puppet on his hand.

It was a small sized hand puppet, dressed in a button down shirt with a blue tie. The puppet also had button eyes and a mustache under its nose. The puppet moved slightly, clearing its throat. "Welcome everyone to your Legacy Mall News!" it said, in a rather gruff voice. "I am your host, J Jonah Jameson, and I will bring you all your news today."

"I thought I was going to be giving the news?" the boy controlling the puppet said. His name was Ren, and he was the main force behind "Mall News" as it was called. He started this for fun a year ago, and now it was a daily occurrence for him. The Jameson turned to glare at the boy, who stiffened in place. "Okay, okay… you give the reports."

"Anyway, let me continue before I get rudely interrupted!" Jameson said firmly. "It seems the Tapioca challenge has been growing quite popular among the youths in the mall, as several people were spotted, attempting to take selfies for their Instagram. I cannot believe people actually waste their time doing something so stupid!"

"I think it's fine… in fact, I'm subscribed to a lot of people on Instagram." Ren said, clicking away on his phone. "See? Katalina favorited my comment, aw that's so nice of her!"

"Reports indicate that many bubble teas have been spilled all over the mall. It's almost as if those cups were designed to be held not balanced on your chest!" Jameson snapped. The camera panned closer to him, as he once again cleared his throat. "In more recent news, it seems that we already have a casualty thanks to this "Tapioca Challenge". Yes, someone was fired from their job because of this. People are already losing they're employment! Our colleague is on site with one of these victims! Ollie, onto you!"

The scene shifted a bit, panning to another person. They were holding another hand puppet, this one being a dark skinned man, holding a microphone in their hand. "This is Ollie Williams and we have here a witness to what occurred in Starbucks Coffee yesterday afternoon. In your words miss, what did you witness?"

The camera shifted, to a young woman whose face had been blurred. The heading at the bottom read "Molly" as she had wanted to remain anonymous. One could tell her hair was pink, however. "Well, I walked into Barnes and Noble, to check on my bo… I mean on someone I started seeing. Lo and behold, there he is, kissing another person! A trap no less! I had thought he was genuinely interested in me, but no! I never felt so insulted my life!"

"Uh… what does this have to do with the Tapioca Challenge?" the long haired boy asked, holding the microphone closer to the girl.

"I just can't believe it! He seemed so sweet too, but no! No… you just had to go crawling back to your ex and help them with that stupid challenge? I'm so glad he got fired from that store. That position had belonged to me anyway… then again I got fired from there to soo…" the girl paused for a moment. She was about to speak when the screen went dark, however the microphones were still online.

"Shit, we lost feed." the camera man cried. He tapped the device hard on the side, causing the image to pop back up. The blur had disappeared, revealing "Molly's" real identity. Charlotte glanced at her wrist watch, frowning.

"I gotta head back to work, this is gonna be censored right?"

"Yep! You've got nothing to worry about Charlotte! Oh whoops." the boy said, much to the girl's horror. Her eyes widened as she glanced at the camera.

"This isn't live is it?" she asked. Upon realizing her face was being projected onto one of the many screens around the mall, she tackled the camera man, causing the feed to once again cut to black.

"Fascinating!" Jameson cried, slamming his fist against the counter. "Instagram is a piece of crap that is ruining the lives of the youth! That young woman could have likely found the man of her dreams, but this damned "Tapioca Challenge" is already ruining lives!"

"Moving on from this for a bit, we recently received information on someone purchasing some empty stores. As it turns out, a well known Real Estate Tycoon has started a store… right next to his first one," Ren said, a look of confusion on his face, as he looked up from the paper. "Uh… we go live to Ollie who should have gotten there by now."

The camera once again panned back to Ollie, or rather his puppeteer Ayumu, who was panting as he had run all the way across the mall. "Hah… hah… we're here with… Isidore Corduroy, who opened up a brand new real estate firm. Mr. Corduroy, could you tell us why you opened up a new store?"

The man, who was obviously not Isidore grinned, a smirk on his face. "Money!"

"I see… I see." Ollie said, holding his microphone out. "What inspired you to open up this store right next to the first one?" he asked, as the camera panned out, showing two identical stores right next to each other. Isidore grinned.

"Money!"

"You heard it here first folks. It seems money is a major inspiration behind this new establishment. And it's in a very profitable area as well, I'm certain that people will-" Ayumu was cut off by a shout.

"HEY!"

"Oh shit!" 'Isidore' cried, as the real Isidore appeared on screen.

"You little fucker! Kurogane what the fuck, I fucking told you not to open this goddamned store next to mine. Get the fuck back here!" Isidore shouted, as Kurogane sped off, with the aid of his mechanical arms. Ayumu blinked in confusion.

"How the heck did we not see the arms?"

"I'm not sure kid, back to you Jameson!" Ollie said, winking at the camera.

"That damn idiot!" Jameson cried angrily. "How the hell do you confuse one man for another? He's made a fool of me, a mockery!"

"He's working part time! It's not his fault, and he had to run all the way there!" Ren said, causing Jameson to groan.

"In other news!" he spat, glaring at the screen. "It seems wedding bells are ringing, that's right! Our sources indicate that the Duchess of Novoselic is tying the knot with her fiance! Isn't that sweet? We are already making plans to crash… I mean get tickets to that very special event."

"Didn't we cover that already? We spoke about it at length last episode!" Ren said.

"I'm the one that makes the news dammit, you stay quiet!" the puppet cried, causing Ren to sink in his chair. "Before we go, we have one more developing story! Breaking News in fact! It seems that someone has pissed in the ball pit!"

"Ew!"

"The culprit is still at large, and we are looking for information. It seems this sick bastard is responsible for last weeks cherry bomb attack in the ladies bathroom. That lead to various damages and a single injury. The janitor ended up slipping on a stray piece of porcelain and fell on his back, losing the air in his lungs." Jameson said, holding back a chuckle. "He even went as far as to claim that he was dying,"

"Poor Hikyou." the puppeteer said softly, shaking his head. "Anyway, that's all for now! We'll be back in two hours with more Mall News! See ya around!"

"What a pointless newscast." Rei said softly, shaking her head. "Honestly, I have no idea why Ren even thinks this is a good idea."

"Well… I think he's doing it because it's a huge meme?" Nico said with a shrug. "Let's just head to the music store."

xxx

"That's gonna be 75 dollars even." the man said, causing Rei to cringe. She reached into her purse, pulling out her credit card. She looked at it for a moment, before handing it over to the man.

"Credit." she mumbled, earning a nod from him.

"Rei, are you sure about this?" Nico asked, glancing at the roll of tickets. "You just made that money back. Aren't you still paying your car off?"

"Yeah… but this is my passion. I want to become a famous violinist in the future. I won't become one if I don't have a violin right?" the girl replied, giving her friend a smile. The cashier handed her the receipt, which she proceeded to sign. "Besides, with you here, you'll be able to tell me which ticket is the winner!"

Nico sighed, giving her a nod. The two left the store shortly after, being reminded that the drawing was going to be in an hour. She took the small roll of tickets, and started examining them. Normally, she would be able to pick a ticket at a glance, but she didn't feel comfortable with any of the ones she saw. Most of them were repeats, while others stood out but didn't appeal to her at all. A worried look flashed across her face.

"Rei… I'm not so sure about this set of tickets." she said softly. Rei gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"I believe in you Nico! Just pick the one that you feel the most comfortable with, I'm sure we'll do fine!"

"I.." the girl stopped mid stride, clutching the roll in her hand. "I'll be back in a bit!" she said, taking off in a random direction. Rei just watched her go, shrugging it off.

"She must want to have some alone time to pick the right one. I think I can give her that," the violinist said, reaching into her purse for her phone. "What the fuck… are you shitting me? How the hell did he get that many views? He isn't even a girl!"

xxx

"I know she wants me to pick the winning ticket, but those last two wins were a fluke!" the silver haired girl mumbled, as she looked at all of the tickets that sat in front of her. "If I pick wrong and she doesn't win, then she loses the chance to get that violin. And she's been wanting that forever!"

The girl shuddered a bit, clenching her eyes tightly. Just thinking about possibly failing in this task made her sick. Rei had unintentionally put a lot of pressure on her shoulders. All because she had managed to win two raffles in the past. She took a deep breath, about to pick a ticket, but faltered when she couldn't decide which one. She bowed her head dejectedly, letting it fall onto the table top. "I'm an awful friend, I let Rei put her confidence in me when she's barely making any money."

"Hey, is something wrong?" a soft voice said, causing her to look up. Nico sighed in relief, seeing that it was her friend Kogo. The violet haired girl had a worried expression on her face. She had a few bags in her hands, one being from a popular Fortune Telling store. "I noticed you were feeling down, figured I could come check on you."

"I'm having a tough time making a choice here. A friend of mine asked me to pick out a raffle ticket, it's for this violin she wants. She's been talking about it for weeks and even used some of her reserve money to buy all of these," she said, brushing some hair out of her eyes. "I just don't want to let her down."

Kogo sat down next to her friend, her eyes scanning all of the tickets. She moved some of them around, placing all of the repeats in one small pile. Nico watched her for a few moments, as she organized every single ticket. She looked them over for a second, before picking one, sliding it over to Nico. "There you go."

"You think this one will win?"

"Well, it isn't a repeating pattern, in fact this is the only one that stood out to me. So it's got to be the lucky one," the woman said, glancing back down at the stub. "At least, I sure hope it is."

"I'm positive it is! Thanks Kogo, I owe you one. Do you wanna try that bubble tea thing?" she asked, causing the violet haired girl to scrounge her nose.

"No."

xxx

"This is the one?" Rei asked, earning a nod from Nico.

"Mhmm… I'm confident that this will be the winning ticket!" she said, swallowing the lump in her throat. The manager of Ibuki's Music Store stepped up to the podium, a small crowd having gathered around it.

"Alright, thank you everyone for buying these tickets. You're contributions will go towards getting my boss, Ibuki Mioda, out of prison. Again." he said in a deadpan, as the crowd started muttering. "Now, I will be picking 3 tickets, for our first, second and third place winners. 3rd place will get free accessories for their instrument of choice for an entire year."

The crowd started clapping, while one man cried boo rather loudly. To his testament, the man continued speaking. "Our second place winner will receive a voucher for free lessons on your instrument of choice. You'll get 5 years of free classes taught by a professional… once she's out of prison, of course."

"I wonder what Ibuki did to get put in prison?" Rei mumbled, scratching her cheek. "I bet she was partying in the hotel room again. Last time she got a citation for throwing a television out of a window."

"Oh? She told me about another one. Apparently, they were in a 10 story hotel, and they were messing around. One of her bandmates pulled out a black dildo and started hitting the others with it." Nico began, trying not to flush. "One of them grabbed the dildo and threw it at Ibuki, who caught it and threw it back. It went through the window, and fell 10 stories down where it hit a poor girl over the head. She ended up having to go to the hospital with a concussion."

Rei let out a snort, trying not to laugh. "I'm sorry… but that's hilarious. I don't think I could take a story like that seriously,"

"Finally, our first place prize. This beautiful violin, crafted by the finest woodcrafters in Europe. It hasn't been played a single time. It is made out of a rich mahogany good, with a glossy finish. This piece is valued at 4,599 dollars. I wish all of you luck!"

"Oh boy! Here it comes!" Rei said, a grin on her face as she looked at her ticket. The next few minutes were spent, with her rising excitement. The 3rd and 2nd place prizes had been quickly claimed, while the first place prize still had no winner. The man had called 5 different ticket numbers, and no one had seemed to be getting them.

"Okay, this is going to be the final draw. Is no one gets it this time, then regrettably, no one will get this prize. The numbers are 11037."

Rei glanced down at her ticket, looking at it. The one in her hand wasn't even close to it. She grabbed the others from Nico, hurriedly pouring through the numbers, unable to find it. "Where is it, where is it? I swore I saw that one-"

"I got it!" a voice said, causing the woman to jump. All of the tickets fell from her grasp, falling onto the ground. A hooded man stepped forward, holding his ticket out to the cashier. He looked it over, giving him a smile.

"Congratulations, sir, I do hope you enjoy this piece. It's quite a beauty," he said. The man gave him a bow, quickly placing the instrument inside the case, locking it tightly. Rei felt her legs fall from under her, dropping to her knees.

"No...No!"

"Rei… it's okay. It's just a violin," Nico said softly. "I'm sure we can get you another one."

"No!" the girl exclaimed, glaring at her friend. "You don't understand Nico… I've been eyeing that violin from the moment it came to this store. I always imagined myself playing it, becoming the best violinist I could be." she sniffled, holding back tears.

Nico frowned, feeling her heart drop. It was because of her that Rei hadn't won that prize. If she had been honest and told Rei that she had been pressured, maybe she wouldn't have wasted money on those tickets. She felt bad for her friend, and wanted to comfort her, but didn't know how. Before she could speak however, the hooded man approached them. She backed up slightly, being surprised by him.

"Who are you?" the silver haired girl asked. The man let out a chuckle, lowering his hood.

"Come on Nico, am I that hard to recognize?"

"Hikaru?" Rei said softly. She wiped her tears away, slowly rising to her feet. "I thought you were out of town?"

"I was… until my boss called me." the man said, shuddering. "Well… more like demanded I come here. The last thing I wanna do is piss off Primrose. She's planning a wedding and needs my assistance, so I plan to be as much of a help as I can. Today is my only day off, I noticed that the violin you liked was being raffled so I bought a ticket,"

"You bought a ticket… and you just won that… but then that means…" Rei mumbled. Hikaru smiled, as he handed her the case. She shakily took it into her grasp, opening the clasps. A soft gasp escaped her lips as she laid eyes on the instrument. A few stray tears fell down her cheeks as she jumped to her feet, kissing the man on the lips. "I love you! I love you, I love you!"

Nico couldn't help but smile. Maybe she wasn't able to guess which ticket was the winner. But in the end, her friend was happy and that's what mattered. Rei happily grabbed the instrument along with the ivory bow, resting it on her chin. She sighed contently, feeling the smoothness of the bow with her fingertips.

"I think I'll play "Shatter Me." it's one of my personal favorites!" she said, resting the bow upon the strings. Before she could even play a note, a familiar alarm rang through the mall, causing everyone to look at the nearby LED display.

"Breaking News! People of the Mall listen up, we are coming to you with something important, something that will change your lives!"

"What the hell is this?" Hikaru asked, confusion on his face. "This didn't happen the last time I was here."

"Ugh… Ren and his friends convinced the owner to let him host a Mall News Network. He has hand puppets and everything. That one is J. Jonah Jameson… it's so damn tacky," Rei said, annoyed that she couldn't play her song. "Let's see what he has to say now."

"It seems the "Pissing Caper" as it has been named has struck again! The little weasel left a puddle just outside of the West Plaza! When I find him, I'm going to kick his-"

"Please excuse us, we are having some technical difficulties. We will return shortly!" A female voice said, as a black and white card appeared on screen, featuring a black and white bear.

"I really hope this is the end of today's broadcast." the violinist said, frowning as she continued looking at the screen.

* * *

**5:54 PM**

**Central Hub - Aquarium**

Shiro frowned as he stared up at the entrance to the massive aquarium, mentally trying to figure out if this was truly a good idea that would totally not backfire in any way whatsoever. Eventually deciding that yes, this was a bad yet fun idea, the trap snuck into the aquarium (without paying of course. It's not like he was here to jack off to a jellyfish.)

Frowning, Shiro approached the first employee he saw, getting their attention. "Excuse me, have you seen some pink haired girl that works here? She looks like a discount stripper from Hooters?"

Much to the trap's amusement, the employee nodded in understanding. "Ah, you mean Charlotte. Yeah, she's in the breakroom to the left. Gotta warn ya though, she seemed to be in a real bitchy mood."

'Bitches will be bitches after all.' Shiro sniggered to himself, amused.

Eventually, he located the break room, heading inside. The pink haired girl was furiously typing on her phone, the swift clicking of keys filling the room. Shiro said nothing as he entered the room, she didn't even notice his presence, to engrossed in what she was doing. She finally finished composing her message, a response to her sister Nessa, and looked up, jumping slightly at his appearance.

"Jesus! Who the hell let you in here?"

Shiro gave a weak and somewhat nervous smile in reply. "One of the employees who agreed with me that you're a discount Hooter stripper."

"Steven… that mother fucker," she mumbled under her breath. She glanced up, about to say something when she got a good look at Shiro. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Have we met somewhere before? You look familiar."

The trap hesitated, thinking of the best thing he could say to smooth things over. 'Ok Shiro, play it cool. Your doing this to thank Dais. He really likes this girl, don't fuck it up'

"I'm the one who kissed Dais, I'm his ex!" He blurted out.

Oops.

Charlotte remained silent for a moment, letting what he had said marinate in her brain. A look of realization flashed across her face, her jaw dropping. "You… you were the one at Starbucks!" she exclaimed. "Daisuke likes men… what the fuck? What a lying piece of shit!"

The trap puffed out his cheeks. "Hey, I can be a beautiful girl if I wanna be, thank you very much!" He snapped, looking away. "Besides, Dais didn't know I was a guy when we first started dating! That's why he broke up with me in the first place…" Shiro mumbled, a surprising amount of hurt in his voice. "Besides, you're the one who should be apologizing to Dais! You didn't even try to ask him about the situation; you're the piece of shit! If you had just asked him, you would have found out he was just helping me, as a friend! Dais deserves better than some hoe who just assumes what she wants to!"

"Hey! I am not a hoe, you fuck! I-" the pinkette paused, letting what he had said settle in her mind. She felt herself deflate, as she sunk into her chair. "Oh god, I am a piece of shit. I just walked out without letting him explain… and then there was that blunder on the Mall News Network and I… you're right, he does deserve better than me."

"You're absolutely right, he does!" Shiro then sighed, walking up to Charlotte and slapping her across the face several times. "Butttt, for some reason, he really, really likes you. Even now. He must really see something in you." The trap looked her up and down appraisingly. "Not sure what that something is, but whatever. You must really have some winning personality or something, because it sure as hell ain't your looks." He shook his head. "But here's your chance to prove me wrong, and win your boy toy back! Observe!" Shiro took out his phone, opening his feed and finding Emizel's post of a shirtless Daisuke, which had garnered over a thousand likes. "Ta da!"

"What… is that a picture of Daisuke… shirtless?" Charlotte asked, eyes widening. "Oh wow, he's totally ripped, I wouldn't mind running my hands on-" she paused, shaking her head. "How is a picture of him shirtless supposed to help me?"

"Uh, well, he kinda got fired because of me… and I just happened to overhear that this aquarium is having a new human water show, involving that little kid, Kitai. I mean, c'mon, I know you're clearly not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but even you should be able to see where I'm going with this!" Shiro replied with a satisfied smirk.

"You want me to get him a job here?" she asked, quirking a brow. "I mean I guess… it would give me a chance to apologize to him." she mumbled to herself. After a few moments, she gave Shiro a nod. "Fine, I'll text him and let him know about this water show, and I'll speak with my boss. I'm sure once she sees his shirtless body, she'll readily agree."

"See? And all was well in the world once again!" The trap joked. "Uh, you can take credit for this. I doubt Dais would believe I'd help him out anyways." Shiro rubbed the back of his head somewhat awkwardly, looking away from Charlotte self consciously. "So… yeah, bye I guess…" He mumbled, beginning to walk away.

"You really care about him don't you?" Charlotte asked, causing him to stop. "You wouldn't have come all the way here if you didn't. I'll make sure to patch things up with him, I know he's had it rough, and this was all a misunderstanding. Thank you."

Shiro coughed awkwardly. "Quit it with the sappy stuff, y'hear? I have a reputation to uphold. Oh, and one more thing…" He turned to look at Charlotte, a terrifying look in his eyes as he pulled a switchblade out of his pocket, lightly pressing it to her forehead.. "Listen well, girl. If you screw Dais over again, or break his heart, or so much as give him a papercut, I will fuck you up so bad, you'll never get another date ever again. Capiche?"

"Yeah okay," the girl said, feverishly nodding. "I promise I won't hurt him at all! I'll make sure to take good care of him and his pectorals."

"Good." Shiro nodded, once again back to his bubbly self. "If you guys ever decide to get into the voyeurism business, I have some connections! You two could make good money! Well, with your body, Dais would be doing all the heavy lifting, but whatever. Seeya!" He giggled, darting out of the room before Charlotte could respond.

"Voyeurism?" she thought, shaking her head. She glanced at the table, noticing her phone was vibrating. Most likely the response her sister had given her. She scooped it up and swiped her finger across the screen, ignoring the message. It only took her a few seconds to find Daisuke's number. She clicked on it, pressing the device to her ear.

"Come on, pick up… I know you always have your phone with-"

"Hello? Charlotte?"

"Ah.. hey Daisuke.. How… how are you?" she asked, clearing her throat.

"I lost my job, my shirt, my dignity, and now I got thousands of views on Instagram and girls won't stop flocking to me. If I was a deadbeat rock star, I'd be living the dream. But what about you? What's the reason for calling me?" he asked curiously. Charlotte sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. A small smile appeared on her face.

"How would you like a job at the Aquarium?"


End file.
